UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has continued to stir up controversy within his party after narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote. A week later, he introduced a bill which some Tory members of Parliament strongly disliked. According to the Financial Times, they accused Johnson of “damaging the UK and everything the Conservatives stand for.” The bill would overturn the Northern Ireland protocol that was set up during the Brexit transition.
“The legislation appears to be in breach of articles 26 and 27 of the Vienna convention on international treaties ratified by the UK in 1971,” Tory MP Sir Roger Gale said. “I don’t see how I or any member of parliament can vote for a breach of international law.”
Policy negotiations during the period of time that follows the vote of no-confidence are noteworthy, as Johnson’s predecessor was forced to resign during such a time.
Johnson has expressed hope that the government will move forward.
“We can focus on what we’re doing to help people with the cost of living, with what we’re doing to clear the COVID backlogs, with what we’re doing to make streets and communities safer by putting more police out, and it gives us the opportunity to continue to unite, to level up, and to strengthen our economy,” Johnson said after the vote.
Johnson has been prime minister since 2019. Previously, he served as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs as well as the Mayor of London.
