Boris Johnson’s future as Britain’s prime minister has been thrown into doubt after a major rebellion against him during a confidence vote he won.
As the announcement was made in Committee Room 14 of the House of Commons on Monday night, half the room erupted in cheers, loudly banging their desks in support of Mr Johnson. However, a significant number remained motionless and silent after Conservative MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of the prime minister.
Mr Johnson drew his senior ministers together at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to set the tone for his comeback. The prime minister told the Cabinet to “focus exclusively” on bread-and-butter issues such as inflation and inequality, and hinted at future tax cuts and improvements to public services as he tries to claw back support.
Mr Johnson now faces a massive uphill struggle to retain his authority and premiership, with speculation growing in Westminster that it might be a matter of weeks before he is out of office.
Rebels said they accepted the verdict of the party but were also looking for new avenues to challenge the wounded leader. Pointing to the last Conservative leader and former prime minister, Theresa May, opponents suggested Mr Johnson's future was still in doubt.
Mrs May received support from 63 per cent of the party in her 2018 confidence challenge, Mr Johnson achieved only 58 per cent. “That’s a terrible result for Boris,” said one MP. “Far worse than what Theresa May got."
“It’s now up to the cabinet to lead the way,” said another MP, who was clearly emotional after the sudden call for a confidence vote following the Partygate scandal.
“I’d call on Rishi [Sunak] to lead to the way. Boris Johnson has now lost a large chunk of his backbenchers. This is unsustainable.”
Westminster is now braced for potential resignations from government ministers, with speculation that a number were among the 148 who voted against Mr Johnson.
Ministers strove to defend the result, taking to social media to drive home the message.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in a tweet that it was “time to move forward” after the prime minister’s confidence vote victory.
“Tomorrow we get back to work growing the economy and delivering better public services," he added.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and senior colleague 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, the Housing Secretary, said it was time to “focus on the people’s priorities” now that Mr Johnson has “secured” the trust of his MPs.
“Now we must carry out what we were elected to deliver — levelling up, cutting crime, securing the benefits of Brexit and improving public services,” he said.
“Let’s get on with delivery and focus on the people’s priorities.”
Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said: “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.
“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."
Mr Johnson’s victory in the vote does not mean the end of his problems.
While Conservative Party rules mean he is safe from a confidence vote for another year, Mr Johnson still faces a daunting list of challenges.
First on the list will be mending his own divided party. A confidence vote is never a good thing for a leader and the 148 votes against him means he now faces an internal opposition that is difficult to ignore.
While it is possible this might translate to more backbench rebellions, Mr Johnson’s authority is now seriously dented and he may struggle to push through parts of his agenda should he encounter Cabinet opposition.
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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
The suggestion that he could carry out a reshuffle could present further problems. It may be difficult for Mr Johnson to promote those who supported him on Monday without making more enemies by sacking those already in government.
Away from his internal party problems, the cost-of-living crisis continues to present the chief policy challenge.
In the short term, inflation is set to continue rising and further support from the Treasury may become necessary over the winter. A “reasonable worst-case scenario” could include power cuts for millions of homes.
In the longer term, the government faces continuing difficulties thanks to poor productivity growth and sluggish economic expansion overall.
Getting the economy growing again is a subject that consumes both the government and centre-right think tanks, and could be critical to Mr Sunak keeping his promise of cutting income tax in 2024.
Added to this is the challenge of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
National Health Service waiting lists continue to swell, with about 6.4 million people in England alone, Meanwhile, the backlog of criminal cases in the crown courts remains high, with about 14,700 cases waiting more than a year to be dealt with.
More work will also be needed to help children to catch up on education missed during the pandemic, and all these difficulties will require close attention to solve them.
In foreign policy, the war in Ukraine and attempts to counter Russian influence in the UK are a crucial priority, but the government is also headed for a renewed row with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Monday's vote does not draw a line under the Partygate scandal, either, as the House of Commons privileges committee is still conducting an investigation into whether Mr Johnson knowingly misled Parliament when he said there had been no parties in Downing Street.
If the committee finds that he did mislead the House, there will be renewed calls for his resignation. It is also possible the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers could change its rules to allow another confidence vote within a year.
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
