By 349 votes to 238 in the House of Commons, Boris Johnson’s government has won a late-night vote of confidence.
The Prime Minister, who was scheduled to step down on September 6th, is now anticipated to hold onto his position for the ensuing seven weeks until a new Conservative Party leader is selected to take his place.
The motion declaring that the Commons has confidence in the Government was supported by MPs by a vote of 349 to 238 (majority 111).
Mr. Johnson rejected calls for him to leave office sooner rather than later by going over what he believed to be his greatest achievements in office during his opening speech.
In the midst of vehement jeers from the opposition benches, he spoke extensively about Brexit, backing for Ukraine, and his management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following a disagreement over Labour’s preparations for a “stunt” vote, he last week submitted a motion of confidence in his departing government.
It follows a botched attempt by Labour to force a Commons debate on whether Mr. Johnson still has a majority.
A vote on whether MPs still had faith in the Johnson administration had been Sir Keir Starmer’s goal.
Although it is customary for the Government to always offer parliamentary time for a motion of confidence from the official opposition party, Downing Street declined to allow such a vote because they felt it did not adhere to the prescribed framework.
They claimed that by proposing a vote that would explicitly target Mr. Johnson when he has already announced his resignation, Labour was “playing politics” and wasting time in the legislature.
In response, Labour asserted that No. 10 was avoiding their version of a confidence vote because they were afraid of losing it.
But today, Mr. Johnson also told MPs that he will have “more to say” about the circumstances behind his demise “in due course,” giving a hint as to what is to follow.
After a turbulent few months during which he was accused of lying and breaching the law, Tory MPs forced him to admit he must resign. The debate followed those events.
Asserting that some people think Labour and the “deep state” will succeed in their strategy to bring us back into alignment with the EU as a prelude to our ultimate return, Mr. Johnson claimed that his departure from Downing Street would spell the end of Brexit.
Before speaking on the Tory leadership, he mentioned his recent flight in a Typhoon fighter jet.
“After three exciting and exhilarating years in the cockpit, we will choose a new leader and we will coalesce in loyalty around him or her,” he said.
And the enormous twin Rolls-Royce engines that power our Conservative message and ideals will continue to roar: on the left, robust public services; on the right, a vibrant free market enterprise economy.
Together, they will generate trillions of pounds of thrust.
We’re the only party that recognises the importance of both, which is why we keep winning.
We will continue to strive for the least amount of taxes and regulation, regardless of the outcome of this debate.
Former Labour minister Kevin Brennan had previously referred to Mr. Johnson’s decision to submit a vote of confidence in his own Government as “very unorthodox,” adding that “only an unconventional man would seek the opportunity to speak at his own funeral.”
The deception “never ends,” declared Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party. What a relief for the nation that they were finally able to fire him.
And the upheaval of the past two weeks is familiar in many respects. the third leadership election for the Tories in six years.
The most recent bountiful summer for brand managers and graphic artists. The most recent parade of pretenders proposing tax cuts without funding.
The most recent round of cabinet positions were awarded with a nod and a shake in exchange for a nomination.
Even the competitors are quitting TV debates because they are so awful.
Every other year, a failed prime minister is replaced.
Ian Blackford, the head of the SNP in Westminster, said: “Let’s reflect on a man who should have never been given the job in the first place.
A man who just shouldn’t be in this position for much longer, having shown no respect for his position in the highest office in the land.
“He doesn’t deserve another day,” he continued. Forget about the following seven weeks.
One of the Tory supporters who voiced grief at Mr. Johnson’s impending departure was former minister Sir Edward Leigh.
I believe we will reflect on our actions, he said. What have we done to the man who provided us with the 80 seats?
However, SNP MP Stewart McDonald (Glasgow South) declared: “We don’t have a Government, it’s a Government in name only, it’s really now a type of organised Tory hooliganism that squats in these offices of state, that sits in these ministries, and squats most importantly in Downing Street.”
The election occurs as the campaign for No. 10 picks up steam, with Liz Truss pulling ahead of Penny Mordaunt, and front-runner Rishi Sunak getting closer to securing a spot in the run-off vote.
In the third round of MP voting, the Foreign Secretary increased from 64 to 71, but this was not quite enough to overtake the Attorney General Suella Braverman’s supporters and move into second position.
Ms. Mordaunt, however, took a hit when her vote total slipped from 83 to 82, and she now appears to be battling to keep the momentum going in her campaign as she comes under increasing pressure for her views on gender problems.
Importantly, only the top couple among Tory members advance to the run-off.
Kemi Badenoch, who was once viewed as an outsider, is still in the running after earning nine more endorsements, bringing her total to 58.
As MPs turned their backs on Tom Tugendhat, who finished last with 30, some votes were up for grabs.
The members of Mr. Sunak’s team had assumed that he wouldn’t significantly increase his total, instead hoping to gain from Mr. Tugendhat’s departure.
In the end, though, they were delighted since he raised his score from 101 to 115.
Given that there are 358 Conservative MPs overall, anything over 120 ensures a spot in the top two.
The focus now shifts to tomorrow’s fourth round of voting and if Ms. Badenoch can defeat at least one opponent to remain in the running.