Britain: How can the Tories overthrow Boris Johnson?

Exhausted by the “partygate” scandal, the almost six parties on Downing Street in violation of the restrictive measures of the lockdown to deal with the pandemic, the Conservative MPs are causing a process of reproach for the removal of Boris Johnson from the prime ministership.

The British Prime Minister rules out the possibility of his resignation and, if he avoids voting in favor of the motion of censure, he will not be threatened with a new motion of censure for a year, according to the regulation, and probably until the next parliamentary elections scheduled for 2024. 1922 President of the Commission acknowledged that the regulation could be changed.

How the process evolves

54 letters

A motion of censure against the Prime Minister will take place if requested by 15% of the members of the Tory parliamentary group in the House of Commons – that is, 54 of the 389 deputies.

In order to initiate a censure procedure, a letter must be submitted to the Member who chairs the 1922 Committee, which is composed of Members without portfolio.

Although some Conservative MPs have publicly called for Boris Johnson to resign, the letter-taking process has been secretive, fueling speculation in recent months as to whether the 54-letter limit has been met.

The chairman of the 1922 commission, Graham Brady, finally confirmed today that he had received the required number of letters to initiate a motion of censure.

Vote on a motion of censure

The vote will take place tonight, in accordance with the rules, which stipulate that it must be conducted in an appropriate manner.

Conservative MPs decide the fate of the prime minister by secret ballot in a chamber of parliament and the result is announced immediately.

If Boris Johnson wins 50% plus one vote – 180 – his power cannot be challenged for a year. If he loses, the race to replace him begins.

No possible successor has stood out in the ranks of the Tories, which can favor Boris Johnson.

However, political analysts believe that a marginal victory in the vote will further damage the prestige of the British Prime Minister.

Leadership race

Candidates to replace Boris Johnson must be Conservative MPs and have the support of at least two of their colleagues.

Tory MPs vote in a secret ballot, disqualifying the least popular candidate until there are two final candidates left.

Unless one of the two final candidates withdraws, the two names will be put to a vote by all party members. The election campaign takes place across the United Kingdom and lasts for several weeks.

Boris Johnson himself took over the leadership of the government in July 2019, easily defeating his rival Jeremy Hunt in the leadership race that began after the resignation of Theresa May, when he proved unable to convince Tory MPs of her strategy regarding Brexit.

Why now;

Boris Johnson has been facing a series of scandals since last year, most notably the “partygate”, which gave him the title of incumbent prime minister against whom he is being fined by the police.

He has repeatedly refused to step down and has so far maintained his position, claiming he wants to help the British face galloping inflation and investing in the image he has built of his key role in Ukraine’s western support for the Russian attack.

However, the publication in late May of the findings of the investigation of public official Sue Gray, which sparked Downing Street behavior during the lockdown, rekindled the dissatisfaction of the Tories MPs and their concern about his ability to win the elections. .

His popularity is in free fall and the Conservatives suffered significant defeats in the local elections in early May. The Conservative Party is likely to lose two seats in the by-elections in June in England.