Boris Johnson will remain Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for another seven weeks. He survived a confidence vote in parliament on his position on Monday night. As a result, he can remain in place until September 5, the day on which his successor must be announced.
Johnson and his cabinet had requested the vote themselves to see whether there is still enough confidence in the government. In the Conservative-dominated House of Commons, 349 MPs voted against the option to expel the cabinet with immediate effect. 238 members voted in favour.
The chance that the motion would pass was slim. Although people within Johnson’s own Conservative Party also believe that he should leave immediately, removing the government would mean new elections. That goes too far for many conservatives, because it would jeopardize their majority in parliament.
Opposition Labor party previously tabled a no-confidence motion against Johnson’s government. That request for a vote was brushed aside. That gave the government the opportunity to table the vote itself, but with a motion formulated in their own words.
Johnson announced two weeks ago that he would resign as leader of the Conservative Party with immediate effect, but will remain as prime minister until a successor is found. The battle for his successor is still ongoing. Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch are still in the race. On Tuesday, the number of candidates will be reduced to three by a vote.
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