Boris Johnson’s government is facing a time of crisis, with members of the federal administration resigning after the appointment of a lawmaker even after the prime minister was told the politician had been the target of complaints about sexual misconduct.
Johnson resists pressure from former government officials, says he will not resign and that “the last thing the country needs is a new election.”
The legal maneuver that could be used for an “impeachment” is the “vote of no confidence”, a formal process in which party members vote on whether or not they want the current leader to remain in office.
The prime minister already faced this vote in early June, and he won. Under the rules of the Conservative party, which Johnson leads, a new process could only be opened after 12 months.
However, it is possible these rules could be rewritten by the Conservative Party, leaving the prime minister vulnerable to another vote of no confidence.
The 1922 executive is expected to meet this Wednesday (6) to set a date for its committee elections. If a sufficiently large number of “anti-Johnson” deputies are elected to the executive, the chances that the rules will change dramatically increase.
Understand how the vote of no confidence works
Under Conservative Party rules, if members of parliament (MPs) want their leader out, they must send a confidential letter of distrust to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, who keeps them secret without revealing how many letters were sent.
At least 15% of party members must submit motions to trigger a vote of no confidence.
Then all Conservative MPs participate in the vote. If a majority of the members vote against Boris Johnson, he must step down as leader of the Conservative Party.
He can remain prime minister while a replacement is chosen in a Conservative leadership vote, but once that person is chosen, he will take over as leader of the United Kingdom.
What happens if Johnson resigns?
In the UK, the resignation of a prime minister does not automatically trigger a general election.
If he resigned, the Conservative Party would hold an internal election to choose a new leader, who would then become prime minister.
Johnson would likely remain in the job until his successor is chosen, as did his predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron when they resigned in May 2019 and June 2016, respectively.
Barring another resignation or a snap election, the new prime minister would lead the UK until the next election in 2024.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
