By Spy Uganda
Boris Johnson will face a leadership vote in his ruling Conservative Party following a series of scandals, including becoming the first sitting UK prime minister found to have broken the law.
Johnson will be removed as prime minister if fewer than 50% of his MPs back his leadership. Under current rules, he is safe from a new vote for a year if he survives the ballot, which is due to start at 6 p.m. local time. However, the Tory party could change its own internal rules to allow another contest sooner.
Leadership Contest
Candidates to replace a deposed Johnson must be Conservative MPs and have the support of at least two colleagues.
Assuming there are several, the eligible Tory lawmakers then vote in a series of secret ballots, eliminating the least popular candidate until two remain.
If Johnson loses, the 1922 committee would likely convene in the coming days to discuss a timetable for that process and agree on it with the Conservative Party.
The first ballot of all eligible candidates would take place, with other subsequent votes following on successive days as their numbers are whittled down.
The final pair would then be put to a vote of all Conservative Party members, with debates between candidates held across Britain over several weeks.
Johnson became Tory’s leader after winning a leadership contest in the wake of his predecessor Theresa May resigning in July 2019 over her Brexit policy. She had won a confidence vote seven months earlier.
He beat fellow final contender Jeremy Hunt comfortably, winning 92,153 votes to his rival’s 46,656.
Why Now?
Johnson has faced a slew of scandals in the past year, most notably the so-called “Partygate” controversy which saw him become the first serving UK prime minister found to have broken the law.
He refused to stand down after receiving a single fine for attending a lockdown-breaching event in Downing Street in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.
But support for him among Conservatives has ebbed away in recent weeks following the publication of an internal inquiry which found he presided over a culture of such parties that ran late into the night and even featured a drunken fight among staff.
A host of Tory MPs have come forward to say they do not believe the party can win the next general election under Johnson’s leadership.
Opinion polls have shown deep public disapproval over the scandal, with a large majority of people saying Johnson knowingly lied about “Partygate” and that he should resign.
The Tories have suffered several electoral setbacks during his tenure, including losing traditionally safe seats to the Liberal Democrats in by-elections and hundreds of councilors in local elections in early May.
The party is also predicted to lose two more by-elections later this month, in the southwest and northern England.
