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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a confidence vote Monday that could result in a shakeup of the government’s leadership.
Johnson, who has faced criticism from within his own party, was previously elected to lead the 359-member Conservative Party of the British Parliament. This is a majority.
Enough members within the party, however, have backed an effort to force a vote that could result in Johnson being replaced with a new leader.
This potential new leader would then serve as the country’s Prime Minister.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech at Lydd Airport, south east England, Thursday, April 14, 2022.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool)
“The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded,” Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, wrote in a letter to members of the Conservative Party, Reuters reported.
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“In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 1800 and 2000 today Monday 6th June — details to be confirmed. The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised,” the letter added, per the report.
The confidence vote could result in enough members supporting Johnson to keep him as the party leader, or a vote of “no confidence” would have him removed and replaced.
FILE – An anti-Conservative Party protester holds a placard with an image of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson by the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
Members could also have Johnson agree to certain conditions or policy priorities in exchange for their vote to back him — a result that would keep Boris Johnson in office but now move the party, and subsequently the country, in a different direction.
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The consequential vote comes as election prediction models show the Conservative Party is projected to lose its 80-seat majority to the opposing Labour Party.
FILE – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
Johnson, who some political pundits have compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump, is often unashamed in his own politics and often has brushes with controversy. Notably, Johnson received criticism for hosting private parties during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the British government was barring ordinary citizens from doing the same.
Johnson survived a similar challenge to his leadership when the scandal of those parties was first learned. He also faced an investigation into the party scandal, that ultimately found a total of 16 instances occurred in defiance of the lockdown.
Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
