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Boris Johnson to face vote of no-confidence today to decide his future as prime minister
An announcement is expected later this evening
Boris Johnson is to face a vote of no-confidence this evening after the threshold of MPs submitting letters calling for a contest was met.
It has been confirmed today that at least fifty-four MPs have written to the chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, Sir Graham Brady, calling for a vote of no confidence in Johnson’s leadership.
The vote will take place in the House of Commons between 6pm and 8pm this evening, with an announcement expected around an hour after the vote closes.
For Johnson to be removed from office, half of Tory MPs plus one would need to vote against him, which is currently 180 MPs.
In the event of Johnson losing the vote, a leadership contest would be trigged, which the Prime Minister would not be allowed to stand in.
In the first stage of a leadership contest, Conservative MPs would vote in a series of rounds to reduce the number of candidates until only two remain.
The second stage of the contest would see the two remaining candidates put to a vote of Conservative Party members.
There is no rule saying the new Conservative leader would be determined by a snap general election.
However, Number 10 has said in a statement that Johnson ‘welcomes’ a vote of no confidence in his leadership, saying the vote is a chance to ‘end months of speculation’ and allow the government to ‘move on’.
The full statement reads: “Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities.
“The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”
A number of senior ministers have backed Johnson, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak tweeting: “From the vaccine rollout to our response to Russian aggression, the PM has shown the strong leadership our country needs.
“I am backing him today and will continue to back him as we focus on growing the economy, tackling the cost of living and clearing the Covid backlogs.”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said he will stand by the Prime Minister tonight, with him telling the BBC: “I’m supporting the prime minister and I hope more of my colleagues do tonight.
“The prime minister will speak to my colleagues at the 1922 meeting tonight and then they will of course make up their own mind.”
This comes after months of investigations into Boris Johnson’s role in lockdown-breaking parties and gatherings held at Number 10 during the 2020 Covid pandemic.
Sue Gray, who was tasked with investigating a number of alleged lockdown breaches in Number 10, specifically attacked ‘senior leaders’ in government in her thirty-seven page report.