Senior Welsh Conservative MPs swing behind Boris Johnson as he faces vote of no confidence
Senior Welsh Conservative MPs who have made their views known have this morning swung behind Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he faces a vote of no confidence this evening.
1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady announced that a confidence vote in the Prime Minister would be held this evening after the required number of letters from MPs was reached. It will require the support of 180 MPs to depose Boris Johnson.
Welsh Secretary Simon Hart and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies are among those who have publicly called for Boris Johnson to stay.
Clwyd South and Vale of Glamorgan MPs Simon Baynes and Alun Cairns have also called for their fellows Conservatives to keep the Prime Minister in post.
Most Welsh Conservative MPs and Senedd Members are however yet to comment publicly.
“As a Government, we’ll be judged on whether we make the right calls on the big challenges – Ukraine, cost of living and the vaccination programme being just three examples,” Simon Hart said.
“Confidence votes and regime change risk handing the levers of power to those who will do the most damage to our country. There is a reason why Labour and the SNP are the loudest voices calling for the PM to go.
“Boris Johnson’s great strength is that he is unique – a voice for those that have so often gone unheard across the UK. In good times & bad supporting the team – & especially its leader – has never been more important, & that’s what I’ll be doing tonight.”
‘Big calls’
David TC Davies meanwhile said that as a person with a family member who died during the lockdown, he would continue to back the Prime Minister.
“My father died in June 2020 during lockdown,” he said. “At that time, as a Minister, I saw first hand, including at COBR meetings, how determined Boris was to save lives and get our country through.
“His commitment was absolute and I have no hesitation in backing him today.”
Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes was the first Welsh Conservative with a vore to back the Prime Minister.
He said: “Today I will be supporting Boris Johnson – he has got the big decisions right on vaccines, supporting people through the Covid crisis, delivering on Brexit which the majority of people supported in the referendum and 2019 election and leading international support for Ukraine.”
Vale of Glamorgan MP Alun Cairns also tweeted: “I will be backing the PM tonight. He has always got the big calls right- Furlough, giving us the lowest unemployment since 70’s; Vaccines, releasing us from Covid sooner than other nations; Strongest leadership against Russian aggression;& coordinated support through energy crisis.”
‘No longer trusted’
A challenger has however emerged to Boris Johnson after Jeremy Hunt, who stood against him in 2019, said that he would vote against the Prime Minister, warning the Tories would lose the next election if he remained in post.
The former foreign secretary said: “”Having been trusted with power, Conservative MPs know in our hearts we are not giving the British people the leadership they deserve.
“We are not offering the integrity, competence and vision necessary to unleash the enormous potential of our country.
“And because we are no longer trusted by the electorate, who know this too, we are set to lose the next general election.
“Anyone who believes our country is stronger, fairer and more prosperous when led by Conservatives should reflect that the consequence of not changing will be to hand the country to others who do not share those values.
“Today’s decision is change or lose. I will be voting for change.”
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Well they would, wouldn’t they?
So the divergence of the Tories in Wales from Westminster lasted what, 2 weeks before they all start lining up behind the Judas Goat again?
Once a Unionist party, always a Unionist party. The electorate in Cymru should take note.
There are several uninist parties im
afraid Llinos.
Oh I know. But the Tories in Wales spent a short 2 week adventure pretending to separate themselves from Westminster in trying to ape Welsh Labour. Who are indeed another unionist party of course. My point being that the Tories in Wales are Unionist Max
“Senior Welsh Conservative MPs swing behind Boris Johnson…”
its the only hope of staying in a job such a talentless bunch have! All in vain one prays.
Once one recognises what a shower of duds they are there follows a realisation that fetching another Tory in to replace Johnson doesn’t improve anything. I have a nagging doubt that the next one would be even more of an idiot.
All the easier to stab the clown in the back one would optimistically hope
….and that should be the final nail in the coffin for the eternal disgrace to decency that the Welsh Conservatives are. ….If you can still side with someone like Boris Johnson after all he has done, (and let us try and see it from a traditional Conservative voter’s eyes, who surely must be aghast at the affrontery of Johnson and his obvious misunderstanding of how England would like to see its self and his destruction of values and laws that Conservatives hold dear, tarnishing forever of a reputation that was hard won…as well as of course the eradication of the… Read more »
100% Cathy but your mindful essay could be addressed with one word….. Independence.
The wise are talking of 2030, because the super rich bankers are. Problem is, I fear that Welsh Gov. are signed up. Hope we get a conservative party before it’s too late.
Inside scoop is it? “The wise” are saying that? I’ll bet these “wise” people all post on the same Reddit as you.
The depths of depravity Simon Hart will go to is unfathomable. A consummate Conservative brown noser of lowest order. And besides demeaning & demoting Wales at any opportunity continues to defend the indefensible with his blind support for his cult leader Boris Johnson.
I noticed yesterday that he attended the Wales v Ukraine match, no doubt a freebie, and he later tweeted picture of himself alongside Wales legend Ian Rush. This is a man who was likely supporting Ukraine before Bale scored and changed sides afterwards when we won. Wales needs his support like we do the Monkeypox virus
The saying ” birds of a feather” comes to mind here. Johnson the clown, and Hart making a fool of himself live on TV. Johnson with no morals and Cairns displaying the same, with the rape trial collapse scandal, forcing his resignation . Davies claiming the good work Johnson did at Cobra level, when M Gove admitted Johnson missed 5 meetings in a row. All of them trotting out the he gets the big calls cobblers . Charlatans and chancers every one of them.
You might manage to excuse The Secretary of State for Demeaning Wales and his underling for their stance, as their jobs might depend Boris’s survival (new brooms will sweep clean) but would any of the others have a good word to say for Boris?
The need urgently rescuing from the cult and de-programming!
Many are neither Welsh nor conservative in any real sense.
So are we to believe that if we had a Labour Prime Minister who had broken the rules, would these Tory MPs be saying ‘look we have more pressing issues to be worried about’.
A return to imperial measures is not a pressing issue.
One good thing, Fay Jones has abandoned Twitter because her constituents are giving her a hard time. For they are ungrateful scum, aren’t we?
Now, if I were campaigning in those seats at the next election I’d make a great deal of their support of Johnson.