London, 7 June (agency)
Controversial British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday won a no-confidence motion. 211 members of the Conservative Party voted for him to remain in office, while 148 voted against him. Johnson said the turnout was widely in his favour, with 58.8 percent voting in his favor against 41.2 percent. However, these results have given his opponents a chance to criticize him, while his supporters say the results show that the majority of party members are with him. After the results came out, Johnson said, “I think it’s a very good result for politics and for the country.” We can continue to work and focus more on the things that really matter to people. I have got a much bigger mandate from my parliamentary colleagues than in 2019.” The no-confidence motion was voted by secret. Johnson needed 180 votes to win out of 359 members of the Conservative Party’s (Tory) parliamentary party. Under current Conservative Party rules, Johnson will no longer face another such no-confidence motion for at least a year.
Significantly, at a birthday party held in Downing Street in June 2020, more than 40 lawmakers demanded Johnson’s resignation over allegations of violating the rules related to the Covid-19 lockdown. The matter has been in the news for a long time and many questions have also been raised about the failures of the investigation led by top civil servant Sue Grey. The report, released after an investigation by Scotland Yard, said that during the 2020-2021 lockdown implemented to prevent the corona virus, parties within government offices violated rules. Johnson and his wife, Carrie, were also fined in June 2020 for holding a birthday party in Downing Street’s Cabinet Room in violation of lockdown rules.
