British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hours away from a confidence vote on his leadership after rebel MPs gathered enough support to force a ballot.
The vote among Mr Johnson's 359 Conservative MPs will take place later on Monday, said party rules enforcer Graham Brady as he announced that the threshold for a contest had been met.
It marks the most serious challenge yet to Mr Johnson's three-year premiership, after the months-long scandal over parties at Downing Street during lockdown exposed rule-breaking and "failures of leadership" at the heart of his government.
Mr Johnson responded with a letter to MPs pleading for their support, hinting at future tax cuts and describing the vote as "the moment to draw a line" under the scandals of recent months.
"I do not believe our voters will lightly forgive us if — just when they need us most to be focusing on them — we appear once again to be focusing on Westminster politics," he wrote.
As Mr Johnson scrambled for the necessary 180 votes to save his political career:
- Loyal cabinet members rallied around the prime minister, praising him for his decisions during the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and warning against a messy leadership contest;
- Two senior figures seen as potential successors - Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chancellor Rishi Sunak - gave their backing to Mr Johnson. But former minister Jeremy Hunt, another possible candidate, said he would vote for a change of leader;
- One of the rebels, Jesse Norman, published a stinging attack on Mr Johnson accusing him of running a divisive, aimless government that had lost public trust, while fellow MP Roger Gale said the prime minister was "not the fit and proper person" to remain in power;
- Anti-corruption tsar John Penrose resigned and said he would vote against the prime minister, saying Mr Johnson had breached ministerial standards;
- The leader of the opposition Labour Party called on Conservative MPs to depose Mr Johnson, and said the vote showed he was already politically weakened.
This browser does not support the video element.
The dramatic developments came as MPs returned to Westminster following the four-day platinum jubilee celebrations, during which Mr Johnson was booed on his way to a thanksgiving service.
Mr Brady said some MPs had dated their letters for Monday so that the vote would not overshadow the jubilee. Several went public with their dissent after civil servant Sue Gray published her report into the Partygate scandal, revealing sordid details of what occurred behind 10 Downing Street's black door.
The Conservatives suffered heavy losses at local elections in May, raising fears among MPs that their seats were in jeopardy if Mr Johnson remains in his post.
Mr Hunt, who was defeated by Mr Johnson in the 2019 leadership race, said that "because we are no longer trusted by the electorate... we are set to lose the next general election".
But in outbreak of Tory-on-Tory hostilities, Culture Secretary and Johnson ally Nadine Dorries sought to deflect Mr Hunt's attack by saying his six years as health secretary had left the country poorly prepared for the pandemic.
Labour leader Keir Starmer called on Tory MPs to "show some leadership" by voting against Mr Johnson and said it was "in the national interest that he goes now".
He said that even if Mr Johnson wins, "I think history tells us that this is the beginning of the end."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has survived an attempt by Tory MPs to oust him in a vote of confidence. PA
Boris Johnson leaves the Houses of Parliament after the vote. Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in the secret ballot in Westminster. EPA
Sir Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, announces the result of the vote. PA
A police officer patrols Downing Street on Monday. The vote of no confidence marked the most serious challenge yet to Mr Johnson's three-year tenure as prime minister. EPA
A protester holds up an anti Boris Johnson placard outside Parliament in London. EPA
Boris Johnson leaves from the back entrance of No 10 Downing Street. Reuters
A broadcast journalist at work on College Green outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Getty Images
British Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady speaks to members of the media announcing the decision to hold a vote of no confidence, outside of the Houses of Parliament. Reuters
John Penrose, the prime minister's anti-corruption official who resigned, claiming it is 'pretty clear' that Boris Johnson broke the Ministerial Code, speaks to the media on College Green in central London. PA
Boris Johnson reads the long-awaited report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the Downing Street party scandal. Photo: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
A gathering in the Cabinet Room at No 10 Downing Street on Mr Johnson's birthday. Photo: Cabinet Office
Mr Johnson during a gathering held while lockdown rules were in force across the UK. Photo: Cabinet Office
Another gathering at No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of a special adviser. Photo: Cabinet Office
Mr Johnson apologises to MPs in the House of Commons in April, having been fined after a police probe for attending a party during coronavirus lockdowns imposed by his own government. AFP
Mr Johnson was no more than 30 seconds into his speech when the first shout of 'resign' was heard from the opposition benches, followed by 'you’re an embarrassment' and 'just go'. Reuters
'I take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my wholehearted apology to the House,' he said, admitting that 'people had a right to expect better of their prime minister'. AFP
The prime minister, pictured with a birthday cake baked for him by school staff at Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hemel Hempstead, said it ‘didn't occur’ to him that a gathering on June 19, 2020 to mark his 56th birthday broke coronavirus rules. AFP
Chancellor Rishi Sunak, left, was also fined for attending lockdown parties held in and around Downing Street. AFP
Mr Johnson is the first sitting prime minister to be censured for breaking the law, sparking calls from all sides of Parliament, including some in his own party, to step down. Reuters
A lone protester demonstrates at Downing Street in London. EPA
Before the war broke out in Ukraine, Mr Johnson appeared vulnerable to the Partygate controversy. He has been praised for his response to the conflict, which may offer him some protection from critics, and he visited Kyiv in what he called a show of support for the country. AFP
Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie applaud health workers outside No 10 Downing Street in May 2020. Getty
Mr Johnson makes a statement in the House of Commons in January on a report regarding the Downing Street parties during lockdown. Reuters
A journalist highlights sections of the Sue Gray report. AFP
Mr Johnson is understood to have been present at six of at least 12 events being investigated. One occurred on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, at which Queen Elizabeth II had to grieve away from other mourners because of social distancing protocol. Getty
Mr Brady's announcement means 15 per cent of Conservative MPs have formally called for a leadership contest. About 30 of the necessary 54 have made their request public.
Mr Johnson was informed late on Sunday that the threshold had been met and agreed that the vote should happen as soon as possible, Mr Brady said.
The prime minister was expected to address a committee of Tory backbenchers on Monday before a vote takes place by secret ballot between 6pm and 8pm. Votes will be counted shortly afterwards.
Earlier on Monday he made a point of addressing the war in Ukraine - speaking to President Volodymyr Zelensky and announcing new weapons deliveries - as allies said it was the wrong time for a leadership contest.
Aside from Partygate, there is broader discontent about Mr Johnson's style of leadership, his policies and his respect for democratic standards. But his supporters say he has got the big calls right on issues such as Ukraine and the pandemic.
"We didn't get every decision right... but we got the big decisions right," said Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who also announced he was backing the prime minister.
Mr Johnson wrote in his letter that "over recent months I have come under a great deal of fire... some of that criticism has perhaps been fair, some less so".
A briefing document for Mr Johnson's allies, leaked to Sky News, urged them to make the case that a Tory leadership race would be "distracting, divisive and destructive" at a time of war in Europe and soaring living costs for people in Britain.
"A blue-on-blue civil war will be vicious and tear the party apart," said, referring to the party's traditional colours. "Voters will only hear: we are divided, distracted and talking to ourselves about ourselves."
Defeat for Mr Johnson would effectively end his premiership only two and a half years after he led the Conservatives to their biggest majority in three decades, promising to end the tortuous Brexit process and exploiting his appeal as an unconventional, often outspoken politician.
But questions over ethical standards have plagued his leadership, and the Gray report revived public outrage over Partygate after the war in Ukraine had eased pressure on Mr Johnson for a time.
The revelations that senior officials had partied at Downing Street outraged many people who made harrowing sacrifices during lockdown. Mr Johnson paid a £50 ($63) fine and apologised after the Gray report outlined "failures of leadership", but denied having misled parliament.
Victory in Monday's vote would make him immune from another such challenge for 12 months, although dire political reality could still force him out. Mr Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, faced down a leadership challenge in December 2018 but resigned the following July.
Mr Norman on Monday made public a wounding letter in which he said Mr Johnson had "presided over a culture of casual law-breaking" and was likely to lead the party to defeat at the next election, expected in 2024.
"Under you, the government seems to lack a sense of mission," Mr Norman wrote. "It has a large majority, yet no long-term plan.
"Rather, you are simply seeking to campaign, to keep changing the subject and to create political and cultural dividing lines mainly for your advantage, at a time when the economy is struggling."
A leaked document said to have been circulating among rebel MPs said Mr Johnson was “no longer an electoral asset” and said the whiff of scandal around his government not going away. It said the public would no longer believe promises from Mr Johnson after the “breach of trust” caused by Partygate.
“MPs are having to defend the indefensible, not for the sake of the party, but for one man,” said the paper published by several news outlets.
Boris Johnson through the years - in pictures
Boris Johnson has had an eventful time during his life in politics and journalism. Here, 'The National' looks back at his life in pictures. Getty Images
Mr Johnson attends the coronation ceremony of Britain's King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in May. Getty Images
Mr Johnson leaves his home to attend a televised evidence session in March in front of the Commons Privileges Committee. Getty Images
Mr Johnson listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy address parliamentarians in Westminster Hall in February. Getty Images
Mr Johnson and Carrie Johnson arrive at Westminster Abbey for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Getty Images
Mr Johnson he announces his resignation as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street in July 2022. Getty Images
Mr Johnson at a press conference in response to the publication of the Sue Gray report into Partygate at Downing Street in May 2022. Getty Images
Mr Johnson reads the long-awaited report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the Downing Street party scandal, in his Downing Street office in May 2022. Photo: Downing Street
Mr Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in central Kyiv in April 2022. The British prime minister paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv in a show of solidarity with Ukraine. AFP
Mr Johnson watches an early morning police raid on a home in Liverpool as part of an operation to thwart drug dealing, in December, 2021. Getty Images
The prime minister battles with his umbrella while with Prince Charles at The National Memorial Arboretum in July 2021, in Stafford, England. Getty Images
Mr Johnson and his wife before the Uefa European Championship final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium, London, in July last year. Getty Images
The British prime minister with US President Joe Biden, European Council President Charles Michel, former Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi during the G7 Summit in Cornwall, in June 2021. Getty Images
Mr Johnson with his wife Carrie in the garden of 10 Downing Street after their wedding at Westminster Cathedral, in May last year. Getty Images
Boris Johnson visits Hartlepool after Conservative Party candidate Jill Mortimer won a parliamentary by-election in May, 2021. Getty Images
The prime minister after receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at St Thomas' Hospital in London in March, 2021. Getty Images
Boris Johnson after signing a Brexit trade deal with the EU in December 2020. Getty Images
Mr Johnson examines a vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 candidate vaccine, at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Wrexham, Wales, in November 2020. Getty
Mr Johnson demonstrating the two-metre distancing rule during his visit to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Upminster, East London, in August 2020. PA
In this photo, published alongside the Sue Gray report into the Partygate affair, Mr Johnson is seen at a gathering in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street on his birthday in June, 2020. Getty Images
Mr Johnson and former chancellor Rishi Sunak use hand sanitiser during a visit to the Pizza Pilgrims restaurant in June 2020, in east London, to see how they are getting their business ready to reopen as coronavirus lockdown restrictions were lifted in England. PA
Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds applaud key workers outside 10 Downing Street in May 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images
Mr Johnson in the Cabinet Room observing a minute's silence in April 2020 in a tribute to the health staff and key workers who died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA
Boris Johnson appears on monitors for a meeting in March 2020. The prime minister chaired morning meetings on the coronavirus remotely from Number 11 Downing Street, while self-isolating after testing positive for the virus. Reuters
Members of a family listen as BMr ris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from 10 Downing Street in March 2020, where he outlined the latest instructions to stay at home to help contain the Covid-19 outbreak. AFP
Mr Johnson speaks to British troops stationed in Estonia during a one-day visit to the Baltic country in December 2019. Getty Images
Mr Johnson and Carrie Symonds enter Downing Street as the Conservatives celebrate a sweeping election victory in December 2019. Getty
Boris Johnson is greeted by staff at 10 Downing Street after meeting Queen Elizabeth II and accepting her invitation to form a new government in December 2012. PA
Former US president Donald Trump and Mr Johnson arrive for a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit in August 2019 in Biarritz, France. Getty
The queen welcomes Mr Johnson as the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, during an audience in July 2019. Getty Images
Mr Johnson, then Britain's foreign secretary, stands in front of St Basil's Cathedral during a visit to Moscow's Red Square in December 2017. Getty
Mr Johnson collides with a child during a Street Rugby tournament in Tokyo in 2015, held to mark Japan hosting the 2019 Rugby World Cup
As mayor of London Mr Johnson competes in a tug-of-war in October 2015. Getty Images
The Olympic Flag is passed from Mr Johnson to IOC President Jacques Rogge during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Getty Images
Mayor of London Boris Johnson with Prime Minister David Cameron during the lighting of the Paralympic Cauldron in Trafalgar Square, in August 2012. PA
Boris Johnson gets stuck on a zip-line during a BT London Live event in Victoria Park in August 2012. Getty
Mr Johnson and Lord Sebastian Coe cheer as a giant set of Olympic rings is displayed from Tower Bridge in June 2012, Getty Images
Mr Johnson gestures attends a Harry Potter studio tour of Diagon Alley, at the Warner Brother Studios, London, in December 2011. AP Photo
Mr Johnson at the launch of London's first cycle hire scheme in July 2010. Getty Images
Mr Johnson with artists' impressions of the design for London's new Routemaster bus in May 2010. Getty Images
The candidates to be mayor of London; Labour's Ken Livingstone, Conservative Boris Johnson and Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick, being questioned on BBC's 'Newsnight' programme in April 2008. Getty Images
Boris Johnson on the North Pier in Blackpool during the Conservative Party conference there in October 2005. Getty Images
Mr Johnson at his desk in 2000 while he was a journalist for 'The Telegraph'. Getty Images
Mr Johnson when he was president of the Oxford Union society speaking to the Greek minister for culture Melina Mercouri when she addressed the union. Reuters
Boris Johnson in September 1979, at Eton School. Shutterstock