No confidence vote: How many votes does Boris Johnson need?
- 2 years ago
Conservative MPs are deciding whether they want prime minister Boris Johnson to remain their leader.
A vote will be held between 18:00 and 20:00 BST on Monday, with a result shortly afterwards.
A number of Conservative MPs have handed in letters calling on Mr Johnson to step down.
Pressure on the prime minister has grown since details of Covid-rule breaking parties were highlighted in a report, by senior civil servant Sue Gray. She said many "should not have been allowed".
Did Boris Johnson mislead Parliament over parties?
How many fines have there been over Partygate?
What is a no confidence vote?
An attempt by Conservative MPs to remove their leader is known as a vote of confidence.
To trigger a vote, at least 15% of sitting MPs have to write a letter saying they no longer have any confidence in their leader.
Given that there are currently 359 Conservative MPs, this works out as 54 MPs.
These letters are sent to Sir Graham Brady, the current chairman of the 1922 Committee - the parliamentary group representing all backbench Conservative MPs.
Sir Graham has announced the threshold has been reached and a vote will be held on Monday evening.
How does a no confidence vote work?
To win, Mr Johnson needs to secure a simple majority.
Assuming every Conservative MP casts a vote and nobody abstains, Mr Johnson will need 180 votes (half his MPs, plus one).
Tory MPs won't have to say how they vote, although some may choose to go public.
What happens if Mr Johnson wins?
If he wins, Tory MPs would not be allowed to hold another no confidence vote for a year, under current rules.
However, there has been speculation that Tory MPs could seek changes, to force another contest sooner. When asked about it, Mr Brady said "technically, it's possible".
It is also possible that if Mr Johnson won by only a few votes, it could persuade him to think twice about whether he had enough backing in Parliament.
Presentational grey line
Previous Tory leadership challenges
Theresa May: Mr Johnson's predecessor survived a confidence vote with a majority of 83 in December 2018. It was called over Mrs May's Brexit policy. Despite winning, she resigned as PM six months later
Iain Duncan Smith: Following months of speculation the Tory leader narrowly lost a confidence vote in October 2003 and resigned
John Major: Triggered a contest in 1995 by resigning as leader of the Tory party (though not as prime minister) amid a deep divide in the party over Europe. In the subsequent leadership contest Mr Major beat challenger John Redwood, but went on to lose the 1997 election
Margaret Thatcher: Resigned as PM in 1990 after failing to win outright victory for party leadership. She beat Michael Heseltine by 204 votes to 152, but was persuaded to stand down by her Cabinet
Presentational grey line
What happens if Mr Johnson loses?
If Mr Johnson loses he would be required to resign and a leadership contest would follow. The timetable for electing the new leader would be set by the 19
A vote will be held between 18:00 and 20:00 BST on Monday, with a result shortly afterwards.
A number of Conservative MPs have handed in letters calling on Mr Johnson to step down.
Pressure on the prime minister has grown since details of Covid-rule breaking parties were highlighted in a report, by senior civil servant Sue Gray. She said many "should not have been allowed".
Did Boris Johnson mislead Parliament over parties?
How many fines have there been over Partygate?
What is a no confidence vote?
An attempt by Conservative MPs to remove their leader is known as a vote of confidence.
To trigger a vote, at least 15% of sitting MPs have to write a letter saying they no longer have any confidence in their leader.
Given that there are currently 359 Conservative MPs, this works out as 54 MPs.
These letters are sent to Sir Graham Brady, the current chairman of the 1922 Committee - the parliamentary group representing all backbench Conservative MPs.
Sir Graham has announced the threshold has been reached and a vote will be held on Monday evening.
How does a no confidence vote work?
To win, Mr Johnson needs to secure a simple majority.
Assuming every Conservative MP casts a vote and nobody abstains, Mr Johnson will need 180 votes (half his MPs, plus one).
Tory MPs won't have to say how they vote, although some may choose to go public.
What happens if Mr Johnson wins?
If he wins, Tory MPs would not be allowed to hold another no confidence vote for a year, under current rules.
However, there has been speculation that Tory MPs could seek changes, to force another contest sooner. When asked about it, Mr Brady said "technically, it's possible".
It is also possible that if Mr Johnson won by only a few votes, it could persuade him to think twice about whether he had enough backing in Parliament.
Presentational grey line
Previous Tory leadership challenges
Theresa May: Mr Johnson's predecessor survived a confidence vote with a majority of 83 in December 2018. It was called over Mrs May's Brexit policy. Despite winning, she resigned as PM six months later
Iain Duncan Smith: Following months of speculation the Tory leader narrowly lost a confidence vote in October 2003 and resigned
John Major: Triggered a contest in 1995 by resigning as leader of the Tory party (though not as prime minister) amid a deep divide in the party over Europe. In the subsequent leadership contest Mr Major beat challenger John Redwood, but went on to lose the 1997 election
Margaret Thatcher: Resigned as PM in 1990 after failing to win outright victory for party leadership. She beat Michael Heseltine by 204 votes to 152, but was persuaded to stand down by her Cabinet
Presentational grey line
What happens if Mr Johnson loses?
If Mr Johnson loses he would be required to resign and a leadership contest would follow. The timetable for electing the new leader would be set by the 19