British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a no-confidence vote that could overthrow him from power amid increasing dissatisfaction with his leadership.
The Prime Minister will face a vote of confidence on Monday, triggered by discontented lawmakers in his own party.
Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench lawmakers, said in a statement Monday that the number of Conservative Party parliamentarians calling for the vote had reached the necessary threshold. The vote will be held between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time on Monday.
If 180 Conservative lawmakers a simple majority vote against Johnson, he will cease to be leader of the governing Conservative Party and will be forced from office, less than three years after winning a general election in a landslide.
If Johnson wins the vote, he will remain both as leader of the party and as Prime Minister.
Johnson’s regime has been shaken by the so-called “Partygate” scandal, with months of allegations of parties and gatherings at the heart of his government during various stages of pandemic lockdown eroding confidence in his leadership.
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A damning report by senior civil servant Sue Gray, published late last month, found a culture of partying and socializing among Johnson’s staff while millions of Britons were banned from seeing their friends and relatives. He has also been criticized for his response to a cost-of-living crisis.
While the vote is confidential, several Conservative MPs have publicly voiced their opposition to the Prime Minister.
Jeremy Hunt, who lost the 2019 Conservative leadership election to Johnson and is seen as a potential candidate to replace him, said he would vote against Johnson. Hunt is a well-known figure in British politics, having served as the health secretary and the foreign secretary in the past.
“Having been trusted with power, Conservative MPs know in our hearts we are not giving the British people the leadership they deserve,” Hunt wrote on Twitter. “We are not offering the integrity, competence and vision necessary to unleash the enormous potential of our country.”
Another Conservative MP, Jesse Norman, told Johnson that his remaining in office “not only insults the electorate, it makes a decisive change of government at the next election much more likely.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said Monday that Johnson “welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs.”
“Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities,” the spokesperson said, adding that Johnson will “remind the MPs that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”
Johnson will address the 1922 Committee personally ahead of the vote, Downing Street added.
