British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote Monday brought by his own Conservative Party in response to lawmakers’ disappointment in his leadership. The ongoing scandal connected to parties at 10 Downing Street that were in clear violation of COVID-19 lockdown orders his government had imposed on the public served to exacerbate Conservatives’ concern with Johnson’s command.
The secret ballot took place Monday evening. Johnson, needing the backing of just a simple majority of 180 of the 359 Conservative lawmakers, won the confidence vote 211 to 148. With the win, Johnson gets to remain in his post and cannot be challenged again for another year, according to current rules.
The Washington Post noted that though Johnson survived the no-confidence vote, the result was quite close for a leader who helped his party win a landslide election just three years ago.
Had he lost, conservatives would have been forced to pick a new leader and Johnson would have been barred from running. However, the party had no obvious leader to replace Johnson, which may have played a role in saving the prime minister from being kicked to the curb.
The win, though, does not in any way ensure Johnson’s tribulations as leader are over. He continues to suffer poor polling numbers, the Post said, and the pandemic parties scandal continues to plague him. Things have become so strained for the prime minister in London that he was openly booed during a service Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral marking Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee celebration.
The Johnson government, after leading the country through its exit of the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic, is faced with social and economic problems, including rising energy and food prices, the Associated Press reported.
Johnson’s office said the prime minister looked at the vote as “a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on,” the AP said.
