British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a tight confidence vote for his position as Conservative Party leader on Monday night, after rivals forced an internal referendum following damaging scandals, including a police fine over a Downing Street birthday party while the country was in Covid-19 lockdown.
Sir Graham Brady, the senior Conservative announcing the result, declared that Mr Johnson had gathered 211 votes compared with 148 no-confidence ballots.
The prime minister insisted he had secured a “decisive” victory despite 41 per cent of his MPs voting to oust him, arguing the government could now “move on” and focus on what “really matters to people”.
He poured cold water on the prospect of a snap election, saying he was “certainly not interested” in the idea.
The prime minister reacted by telling reporters in Downing Street: “I think it’s an extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result which enables us to move on, to unite and to focus on delivery and that is exactly what we are going to do.”
He rejected the assertion that he was now a lame duck prime minister who needed to call a snap election to secure a new mandate from the public, insisting he was focused on people’s priorities.
Mr Johnson's supporters said he could recover and bounce back.
“I think people who won those seats in 2019 have to recognise that he won that election," said one, Ben Bradley.
“He is a huge personality who engaged with people in places where we hadn’t been able to do that. A lot of MPs are sometimes maybe guilty of believing their own hype in some of these elections.”
Mr Johnson was endorsed by 169 Conservatives before the voting, which was fewer than the 180 needed for victory.
Later, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak tweeted: “The PM has won the confidence vote and now it’s time to move forward.
“Tomorrow we get back to work growing the economy and delivering better public services.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Housing Secretary Michael Gove also tweeted their support for Mr Johnson.
“Pleased that colleagues have backed the Prime Minister," Ms Truss said. "I support him 100 per cent. Now’s the time to get on with the job.”
Mr Gove said it was time to “focus on the people’s priorities” now that Mr Johnson has “secured” the trust of his party.
“The PM has secured the support of Conservative MPs," he said.
"Now we must carry out what we were elected to deliver — levelling up, cutting crime, securing the benefits of Brexit and improving public services.
“Let’s get on with delivery and focus on the people’s priorities.”
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News that Mr Johnson won the vote “handsomely.”
“It’s a ballot," Mr Zahawi said. "Fifty plus one is a majority. Boris did much better than that.”
“I think the important thing to remember is that whichever side of the argument you’re on on this, the one thing we all believe in is democracy.
“I think the important thing to remember is that we only are able to deliver if we are united. I hope we can draw a line under this now and focus on delivery.
“All of my colleagues, whichever way they voted, know that we win the election when we are united. People don’t vote for divided parties, that’s my message.
"We’re democrats above everything else and I think you’ll find every colleague, even those who voted against the prime minister tonight, will agree with that statement.”
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said the result of the confidence vote was a “lot better” than he had feared.
“I think it’s a good win," the Lichfield MP told PA.
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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
When told there were more votes against Mr Johnson than there were against Theresa May in 2019, Mr Fabricant said: “Theresa May then decided to do a deal with Labour to have a second referendum. That ain’t gonna happen, so there is no comparison.”
Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said it was a “comfortable” and “clear” win.
“I think the country would rightly be very, very upset if we as a party decided to ignore ... what the wider party said when they elected him leader, what the country said when they made him prime minister and what the bulk of Conservative MPs have now said today, which is that they want him to stay," he said.
“So, people have got to recognise they didn’t get the vote of no confidence through and what they should now do is say, ‘OK, we respect the democratic decision of the party, we are going to support the prime minister in getting on with the job’.
“It was a comfortable win. It was a clear win. And I’ll tell you something, if there is any other candidate who thinks they are going to get 60 per cent of the parliamentary party rallying around him, good luck with that.”
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said it was “time to get back to the job of governing".
“The person [Labour leader Sir Keir] Starmer doesn’t want to face at an election is Boris Johnson, who secured the biggest Conservative majority since 1987 and the highest share of the vote of any party since 1979, with 14 million votes.
“Time to get back to the job of governing.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “That result is surely the worst of all worlds for the Tories.
“But much more importantly, at a time of huge challenge, it saddles the UK with an utterly lame duck PM.
“And for Scotland, it just underlines the democratic deficit. Only two of [Scotland’s] 59 MPs have confidence in the PM.”
Sir Keir said a “divided” Conservative Party was “propping up” Mr Johnson after he survived the confidence vote.
“The choice is clearer than ever before: Divided Tories propping up Boris Johnson with no plan to tackle the issues you are facing,” he said, "or a united Labour Party with a plan to fix the cost-of-living crisis and restore trust in politics.
"Labour will get Britain back on track.”
Before Monday's vote, Mr Johnson had faced months of growing insurrection over successive scandals surrounding his tenure in Downing Street, including a damning report on parties held there while social mixing was banned in the country.
Party members have seen the goodwill accumulated in his strong election performance three years ago wiped out.
One of the symbols of his 2019 election victory, the northern member Dehenna Davison, said she voted against Boris Johnson.
"Though it is a secret ballot, it feels right to share with you how I voted," Ms Davison wrote on Facebook.
"This is not a decision I took lightly. I listened carefully to all sides, and particularly to the many constituents who contacted me sharing their thoughts and experiences.
"Weighing it all up, I voted against the prime minister tonight. I hope that, whatever the result, we politicians can now fully focus on the things we were elected to do for you."
Ms Davison turned the seat of Bishop Auckland to the Conservatives, breaking the Labour stranglehold there for the first time since the 1930s.
In a move that sought to capitalise on the weakness of the man who beat him to the leadership in 2019, Jeremy Hunt called on the Conservative Party to decide it wanted to change its leader.
“Today’s decision is change or lose. I will be voting for change,” Mr Hunt wrote. “Having been trusted with power, Conservative MPs know in our hearts we are not giving the British people the leadership they deserve.
“We are not offering the integrity, competence and vision necessary to unleash the enormous potential of our country.
“And because we are no longer trusted by the electorate, who know this too, we are set to lose the next general election.”
A survey of more than 1,000 respondents on the Conservative Home website found most against Mr Johnson for the first time.
It said that if Tory MPs should vote to remove Mr Johnson, 55 per cent would back the move and 41 per cent would be against, with 3 per cent saying they did not know.
Mr Johnson was greeted by the traditional banging of desks as he addressed Tory MPs in a private meeting in Westminster, telling them “to stop talking about ourselves and start talking exclusively about what we are doing for the people of this country”.
“The people in this room won the biggest electoral victory for the Conservatives for 40 years under my leadership," he said.
In a letter to his parliamentary colleagues at the start of the day, Mr Johnson offered some humility but also described a golden opportunity to move on from the culture of recrimination.
“I know that over recent months I have come under a great deal of fire, and I know that experience has been painful for the whole party," he wrote.
“Some of that criticism has perhaps been fair, some less so. Where there have been valid points, I have listened and learned and made significant changes.
"And I will of course continue to listen and learn from colleagues about the improvements you wish to see."
Sir Peter Bottomley, Father of the House, was first in line to cast his ballot and behind him Cabinet ministers waited patiently, some chatting with colleagues, others ignoring those they knew were rebels.
After an hour of voting, protection officers appeared in the corridor outside the large Committee Room 10 where the ballot was cast.
Minutes later Mr Johnson, followed by his Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, appeared without his usual show of ebullience, muttering under his breath as he passed The National.
He was the 298th of 359 MPs to vote, appearing half an hour after his predecessor Theresa May had cast her ballot.
The former prime minister appeared in elegant evening wear, with a sheer black top and gold necklace, smiling as she chatted to a colleague, perhaps reflecting on her on confidence vote in 2018 that was largely orchestrated by Mr Johnson and his Brexit colleagues.
Gavin Barwell, who as chief of staff led Mrs May's fightback in a confidence vote in 2018, said Mr Johnson could face new challenges when the result of two by-elections is known on June 23.
"Four Conservative leaders have faced a vote of confidence during my adult life," Mr Barwell said.
"Three of them won, but two of those were gone within a year and the third got hammered at the subsequent general election.
"So the omens of him surviving and winning again are not good."
Boris Johnson through the years - in pictures
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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
