British Prime Minister Boris Johnson celebrated his survival in the House of Commons’ no-confidence vote over the Partygate scandal, saying the result was “convincing” and “decisive,” despite almost 150 members of his own party voting against him.
He also dismissed calls to hold a snap election in order to display public approval, saying he would now switch his focus to the cost of living crisis, clearing the COVID-19 backlogs, and making the country safer by “putting more police out.”
We need to come together as a party and focus on what this government is doing to help people with the cost of living, to clear the COVID backlogs and to make our streets safer.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 6, 2022
We will continue to unite, level up and strengthen our economy. pic.twitter.com/vIWK81dDJC
Echoing this sentiment, Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said Johnson had won the trust vote “handsomely” and called for legislators to stand “united” to combat the issues facing the United Kingdom (UK). He added, “I hope we can draw a line under this now and focus on delivery.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, too, celebrated his victory and declared that its “time to get on with the job,” while Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said “it’s time to move forward” and focus on “growing the economy and delivering better public services.”
Pleased that colleagues have backed the Prime Minister. I support him 100%. Now's the time to get on with the job.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) June 6, 2022
However, although Johnson claims to have secured a “decisive” victory, he will now face an uphill battle to ensure party unity. The vote was held only among the 359 Conservative Party members of parliament (MPs) and 148 of them voted against him, or 41%, well above the 120-130 that was forecasted.
This disapproval rating was much higher than his predecessor Theresa May, who faced a trust vote in 2018 and was forced to resign in six months despite securing 63% of the votes.
Therefore, while Johnson has secured immunity from any challenge to his position for 12 months, he could now face increasing calls to step down or call for elections in the coming months.
That result is surely the worst of all worlds for the Tories. But much more importantly: at a time of huge challenge, it saddles the UK with an utterly lame duck PM. And for Scotland, it just underlines the democratic deficit - only 2 of 🏴 59 MPs have confidence in the PM. https://t.co/2EQE5LSYWL
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 6, 2022
Tonight’s vote on Boris Johnson’s leadership will not provide any comfort to the millions of families pushed into poverty by the soaring cost of living, relying on food banks and struggling to pay the bills.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 6, 2022
They need real change and policies to give them hope for the future.
Crucially, former Tory minister Jeremy Hunt, who is the most favoured candidate to replace Johnson, has called for change within the party.
Similarly, PM Tony Blair’s spokesperson has said, “As far as his authority in the country is concerned, I think he is gone already. And I think the longer that the conservative party hangs on to him, the more damaging it is for them.”
The fact that Conservative MPs can’t think of a single better candidate for Prime Minister than @BorisJohnson reveals everything that is wrong with their party.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 1, 2022
The choice is clearer than ever before:
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 6, 2022
Divided Tories propping up Boris Johnson with no plan to tackle the issues you are facing.
Or a united Labour Party with a plan to fix the cost of living crisis and restore trust in politics.
Labour will get Britain back on track.
Keeping this in mind, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said the result showed that the Conservatives are divided and do not have a plan to tackle the issues facing the UK. He also criticised the legislators that supported Johnson for ignoring the demands of the British public.
Despite his victory, calls for Johnson’s resignation continue over the Partygate scandal and the subsequent Sue Gray report, which shed light on several gatherings and parties attended by Johnson and other government officials in violation of COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
I have supported Boris Johnson for 15 years, for the London Mayoralty and for PM. Very sadly, I have written to him to say I can no longer do so, for the reasons set out below. pic.twitter.com/0Mjs4hjeSF
— Jesse Norman (@Jesse_Norman) June 6, 2022
A snap YouGov poll has found that 59% of the British public believe that Johnson should quit and 74% believe that the PM knowingly lied about violating COVID-19 protocols.
The controversy represents the biggest challenge to Johnson’s leadership since he secured the largest ever majority by the Conservatives in 2019, promising to “get Brexit done.”