LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a confidence vote later on Monday, after a growing number of lawmakers in the governing Conservative Party questioned the British leader's flagging authority over the "partygate" scandal.
Johnson, appointed prime minister in 2019, has been under growing pressure, unable to move on from a report that documented alcohol-fuelled parties at the heart of power when Britain was under strict lockdowns to tackle COVID-19.
In a searing attack on the once seemingly unassailable Johnson, Jesse Norman, a loyalist who served as a junior minister in the finance ministry between 2019 and 2021, said the prime minister staying in power insulted both the electorate and the party.
He is just one of several Conservative lawmakers who have voiced concern over whether Johnson, 57, has lost his authority to govern Britain, which is facing the risk of recession, rising prices and strike-inflicted travel chaos in the capital London.
"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, chairman of the party's 1922 Committee that represents rank-and-file Conservative lawmakers, wrote in a note.
Brady said a vote would be held between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. (1700-1900 GMT) on Monday.
"The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised," Brady said.
A spokesperson for Johnson's Downing Street office said the vote was "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 (members of parliament) 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."
MOUNTING ANGER
A majority of Conservative lawmakers - or 180 - would have to vote against Johnson for him to be removed - a level some Conservatives say might be difficult to reach. If passed, there would then be a leadership contest to decide his replacement.
Since the release of the damning report into the so-called "partygate" scandal, which listed fights and alcohol-induced vomiting at lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, Johnson and his government had urged lawmakers to move on.
But many returned to their constituencies, or voting regions, last week to find a chorus of complaints over Johnson's behaviour. The prime minister was also jeered and booed by the public at Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the Queen at the weekend, although there were some cheers for him.
Steve Barclay, who was appointed the chief of staff at Downing Street after reports of the parties, urged lawmakers not to "waste the remaining half of the parliament on distractions over leadership".
"If we continually divert our direction as a Conservative Party - and by extension the government and the country - into a protracted leadership debate, we will be sending out the opposite message," he wrote on the Conservative Home website.
But in perhaps the biggest sign that criticism of Johnson has spread beyond a vocal group of so-called rebels, Norman listed his complaints of the British leader's behaviour and also of what he described as a lack of "mission".
"People are crying out for good government ... neither the Conservative Party nor this country can afford to squander the next two years adrift and distracted by endless debate about you and your leadership," he wrote in a letter published on Twitter.
"For you to prolong this charade by remaining in office not only insults the electorate, and the tens of thousands of people who support, volunteer, represent and campaign for our party; it makes a decisive change of government at the next election much more likely. That is potentially catastrophic for this country."
Reuters
Mon Jun 06 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the House of Commons, in London, Britain, April 19, 2022 - REUTERS Pic
MSPO mampu penuhi permintaan EUDR, kata pakar
Panel pakar pensijilan yang dipanggil oleh MPOC telah menilai keupayaan pensijilan MSPO sebagai instrumen untuk memastikan pematuhan kepada EUDR.
SUKMA XXI bakal bawa limpahan ekonomi kepada Sarawak - Abdul Karim
Pemain industri perhotelan, inap desa dan pengusaha makanan serta pengangkutan di Sarawak bakal menerima limpahan ekonomi daripada penganjuran temasya SUKMA XXI Sarawak 2024.
Minggu Latihan Kebangsaan pupuk budaya pembelajaran sepanjang hayat - HRD Corp
HRD Corp bakal menganjurkan NTW pada Jun ini, bertujuan menerapkan budaya pembelajaran sepanjang hayat dalam kalangan rakyat melalui peluang meningkatkan kemahiran dan pembelajaran secara percuma.
Kru kapal dikaitkan dengan Israel dibebaskan
Iran berkata pembebasan anak kapal adalah tindakan kemanusiaan dan mereka boleh pulang ke negara mereka bersama kapten kapal.
Agensi Risikan Seoul beri amaran Korea Utara rancang serangan ke atas kedutaan
Agensi Risikan Korea Selatan mengeluarkan amaran Pyongyang sedang merancang serangan yang menyasarkan pegawai dan rakyat Seoul di luar negara, dan kementerian luar perlu meningkatkan tahap amaran untuk misi diplomatik di lima negara.
20 terkorban bas terjatuh dalam gaung di utara Pakistan
Bas berkenaan dalam perjalanan ke kawasan pergunungan utara Gilgit-Baltistan dari Rawalpindi di wilayah timur Pakistan.
MKT UMNO beri komitmen sokong kempen calon PH
Mesyuarat Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) UMNO bersetuju untuk memberi komitmen penuh untuk membantu calon Pakatan Harapan (PH), Pang Sock Tao pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu, pada 11 Mei ini.
Laluan alternatif hubungkan Sibu-Kapit akan dibina
Satu jajaran jalan baharu akan dibina sebagai laluan alternatif yang akan menghubungkan Sibu dengan Kapit melibatkan jarak kira-kira 66 kilometer (km).
UNESCO anugerahkan hadiah kepada wartawan Palestin
Wartawan berkenaan dianugerahkan Hadiah Kebebasan Akhbar Dunia UNESCO/Guillermo Cano 2024 pada Khamis di Chile, lapor agensi berita Jerman (DPA).
Malaysia, Jepun bincang kerjasama perdagangan, pertanian
Malaysia dan Jepun mengadakan perbincangan dua hala yang antara lain menyentuh mengenai perdagangan, pertanian dan peranan Malaysia sebagai hab halal yang boleh dimanfaatkan negara itu.
Tak sedar aksi dirakam, penyampai BBC mohon maaf kepada penonton
Seorang penyampai berita saluran BBC memohon maaf atas selepas tidak sengaja menunjukkan jari tengah ketika mula bersiaran di televisyen.
Parlimen Britain sahkan laporan Boris Johnson berbohong
Ini sekaligus memberikan satu lagi tamparan kepada kerjaya politik bekas Perdana Menteri itu.
Boris Johnson didapati bersalah kerana 'penghinaan berulang' terhadap Parlimen
Siasatan mendapati bekas perdana menteri Britain Boris Johnson "berulang kali menghina" Parlimen berikutan penafiannya mengenai skandal "partygate".
Boris Johnson letak jawatan sebagai ahli parlimen
Bekas Perdana Menteri itu akui sedih apabila mengambil keputusan letak jawatan.
Kerajaan Britain diberi lebih masa serah mesej WhatsApp Boris Johnson
Hakim memberi tempoh sehingga Khamis, menyerahkan mesej dari aplikasi WhatsApp dan diari Johnson sebagai sebahagian daripada siasatannya.
Pengerusi BBC letak jawatan selepas laporan beliau terlibat dalam pinjaman untuk Boris Johnson
Pengerusi BBC Britain meletak jawatan pada Jumaat berikutan laporan yang mendapati beliau melanggar kod kerajaan.
'Tiada bukti saya mengelirukan Parlimen' - Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson menafikan beliau sengaja mengelirukan Dewan Rakyat dalam skandal parti di pejabat Downing Street.
Boris Johnson dipilih bertanding di Uxbridge, bagi pilihan raya umum akan datang
Pilihan raya umum akan datang di United Kingdom dijangka berlangsung selewat-lewatnya pada Januari 2025.
PM UK: Boris Johnson tarik diri, Rishi Sunak calon kegemaran
Percubaan kali pertama Sunak ialah pada musim panas lalu berikutan peletakan jawatan Johnson, tetapi kalah kepada Liz Truss, yang meletak jawatan Khamis lalu.
Boris Johnson tidak akan sertai perlumbaan jadi PM
Beliau memutuskan bahawa ia adalah satu keputusan yang tidak wajar untuk berbuat demikian pada masa ini.