Boris Johnson will remain Prime Minister of the UK for another seven weeks. He survived a confidence vote on his position on Monday night. As a result, he can remain in office until September 5, when his successor is to be announced.
Johnson and his cabinet have called for a vote to see if there is still enough confidence in the government. In the Conservative-dominated parliament, 349 MPs voted against the proposal to immediately expel the cabinet. 238 members voted in favour.
The motion is unlikely to pass. Dismissing the government would mean a new election, although those in Johnson’s own Conservative Party believe he should leave immediately. For many conservatives, this goes too far because it could affect their majority in parliament.
The opposition Labor Party had earlier tabled a motion of no confidence against Johnson’s government. That vote request was ignored. This gave the government the opportunity to bring forward a referendum, but with a motion formulated in their own words.
Johnson announced two weeks ago that he would resign as leader of the Conservative Party, effective immediately, but would remain as prime minister until a successor was found. The struggle for his succession is still going on. Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordant, Liz Truss and Kemi Patenoch are still in the race. On Tuesday, the number of candidates will be reduced to three by one vote.
