The Boris Johnson administration is calling a no-confidence vote in itself on Monday, undercutting the left-wing opposition’s moves to stage a similar vote.
Labour, the main opposition party in the House of Commons, had attempted to move a motion of no confidence against the government and Boris Johnson personally last week, but was blocked by the government from doing so. The government argued that such a vote — against the government and the leader simultaneously — was without precedent and, in any case, was pointless as Boris Johnson had already announced he was standing down as Prime Minister in a few week’s time.
Yet the Conservatives have moved against claims by opposition parties in Parliament that they are running scared of a confidence vote, by tabling one against themselves on Monday. Any MP can vote against the government today, and if dissenters have the majority precedent dictates an early general election should take place.
Yet the Conservative Party, or Tories, have a considerable majority in Parliament and despite around 40 per cent of Tory MPs voting to get rid of Johnson earlier this year it is highly unlikely that enough Tory MPs will vote against the government or abstain from the vote to see it pass.
The triggering of a general election which a defeat would entail would see those Tory MPs battling to retain power effectively leaderless, at each other’s throats, and at a low ebb in the polls.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of junior left-liberal opposition party the Liberal Democrats, urged Tories to still consider voting against their government, saying: “Conservatives MPs have the chance to show they are listening to the people by getting rid of this failing Prime Minister.”
“Boris Johnson should go now and, when a new Conservative leader is in place, we should have a general election so that people can kick out these Conservatives once and for all,” he added.
Britain’s opposition parties believe the heated contest to succeed Johnson, in which five contenders remained as of the time of publication, is to their benefit, with ITV political editor Robert Peston suggesting that a televised leadership debate on Sunday was “little short of a disaster for the Tory party, because the Labour Party will record and repeat every single attack made by these candidates on each other and on the actions of their government.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.