Boris Johnson facing confidence vote as authority slips away before PMQs
Boris Johnson faces PMQs on Wednesday with his authority as Prime Minister already slipping away, with Conservative insiders briefing that a confidence vote is imminent.
Multiple Tories briefed STV that the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs was close to the 54 letters needed to trigger such a vote, which Boris Johnson is expected to fight.
Theresa May won such a confidence vote in December of 2018 but has resigned as Prime Minister within a year, making way for Boris Johnson.
The threat to Boris Johnson’s leadership comes after a disastrous interview with Sky News in which he claimed that “nobody warned me” that a drinks party during lockdown at Number 10 was against the rules.
Beth Rigby who conducted the interview said that she felt Boris Johnson “looked defeated” as he was questioned.
The Times Scotland political editor Kieran Andrews added that “a senior Tory source says Johnson’s Sky News interview pushed things towards the edge. Apparently it went down ‘like a turd in the trifle’ with MPs”.
Key to the plot against Boris Johnson are the 2019 intake of Conservative MPs who face losing their seats unless there is a rapid uptick in the party’s fortunes. More than 20 met this afternoon to discuss their concerns. The Times counted at least 58 MPs who were now openly critical of Boris Johnson’s leadership.
A Cabinet source meanwhile was reported to have commented: “It’s pretty sickening. They were only elected because of him. Most of them are a load of fucking nobodies. It’s nuts.”
Among Boris Johnson’s critics today were the First Minister of Wales, who in the Senedd criticised the “disgraceful revelations” about parties going on at Downing Street and elsewhere in the UK Government.
“At a time when the whole country was being urged to abide to some of the most significant reductions in their ability to make choices in their own lives, at the very heart of the UK Government, there was an utter disregard for that in their own lives,” he said.
He said that it added to “that sense that there is one rule for the rest of us, and a different rule for those who regard themselves as above and beyond the rules that other people are expected to observe”.
Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Sioned Williams also reacted to the Sky News interview, calling Boris Johnson a “disgrace of a man”.
“Ridiculous, shameful, shameless, unacceptable excuses and lies. Over and over again,” she said.
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Heath, Thatcher, Duncan – Smith, May….they all vow to ‘fight’ the confidence vote….but they all end up quitting. Nobody does regicide quite as well as the british tories or as often. Will be shame to see Boris Johnson go as he was doing such a good job of breaking up the union….let’s hope his successor is equally inept.
In keeping with a great English tradition (Barmouth, Port Dinorwic, Snowdon et c.), I’d like to suggest that No 10 should now be renamed ‘The Trifle’.
Just kick all English party’s out of wales 🏴 it’s time for a independent wales 🏴
It’s also time for Capitalized Wales.
Confidence ? That would be asking rather a lot of anyone ! Check out this little clip from yesterday’s Spectator on line :
Quote of the day
‘Nobody told me that what we were doing was against the rules.’
Boris Johnson denying that he had lied to parliament over parties in Downing Street.
So what was he doing when he signed off on all his own rules ? Man is an utter failure. Perhaps he should stay in post as it will accelerate the break up of the Union.
See that the Tory party in Cymru have been supporting him more or less wholeheartedly, now they will have to OBN another English nationalist anglo supremacist hooligan who will be the next English parliament PM
It makes no difference if Johnson goes, Westminster will still be a bascially corrupt totally unaccountable organisation which represents England only Nothing will really change
Why are my comments constantly blocked ? Is there some kind of censorship against me ? Perhaps I should read a different publication
I can’t wait to see the back of the smirking perma-child. Of course, his replacement may be even more medacious and spiteful, but unless it’s LIzz Truss we will be subjected to a lot fewer insincere smiles, and although we will be lied to just as much, hopefully, his replacement won’t be such an expert at it.
Up pops another member of the Somerset Home Guard (ex Major Heanney MP) to rally round Fat Shanks Johnson’s last stand…