London British Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to resign. He must save his country from chaos, he explained. Things are already chaotic in London: Johnson no longer has a majority in his own parliamentary group.
With numerous half-truths and untruths, Johnson had repeatedly saved his head in the past few months. On Wednesday he had to face a one-hour question time in the House of Commons. “Bye-bye Boris,” cried opposition MPs and probably some members of the conservative government faction to the ailing prime minister.
Johnson is still glued to his chair. But can he and may he do that? An overview of how things could continue in London in the coming days:
The prime minister is citing his Conservative party’s landslide victory in the 2019 general election, which gave the Tories an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons. He has a “colossal” mandate, says Johnson.
In reality, however, the prime minister in Britain is not directly elected by the people. The country is a representative democracy that awards direct mandates through a first-past-the-post system, thereby determining the strength of the parties in parliament. The strongest party then elects the head of government from among its members. Johnson is thus breaking the parliamentary conventions of British democracy.
Can the prime minister continue to rule?
The numerous resignations tear large gaps in the government team of Johnson. Parliamentary committee meetings scheduled for Thursday had to be canceled because no minister was available.
The rumblings also continue in the cabinet: After the resignations of Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid, the Minister for Wales, Simon Hart, also withdrew on Wednesday evening. Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis followed on Thursday as the fourth cabinet member. Johnson himself fired his building secretary and longtime collaborator, Michael Gove, after he asked him to resign.
It is unclear how those cabinet members who unsuccessfully urged Johnson to resign on Wednesday evening will behave. The Prime Minister will continue to be supported by Brexit Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries. Johnson himself claims there is enough talent in the Tories to fill the gaps.
Can Johnson be forced to resign?
If the 58-year-old persists in his refusal to resign, there are only two ways to throw him out of office: The Labor Party, as the strongest opposition force, could request a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons.
But that’s risky because she can’t be sure how many members of the conservative ruling faction would vote with the opposition. It is more likely that the Tories themselves will launch an internal party vote of no confidence in Johnson.
What could a vote of no confidence in the prime minister look like?
Johnson barely won a vote of confidence from his party at the beginning of June. More than 40 percent of his own faction voted against him at the time. The rules of the Conservatives actually stipulate that no new vote of no confidence may take place for a year. However, with Johnson’s party allies turning their backs on him en masse in recent days, it is likely that the Tories’ 1922 Committee, responsible for governance, will change the rules and allow a new vote of confidence.
The Conservative Party Committee will re-elect its leadership on Monday. Johnson’s critics are then expected to have a majority to change the rules. In this case, a new vote of no confidence in the prime minister could take place on Tuesday. Insiders believe Johnson would lose the vote by a large majority.
So far, no one in his party has openly challenged Johnson.
(Photo: AP)
Can Johnson call new elections?
A British Prime Minister has the option of asking the Queen, as head of state, to dissolve Parliament. Johnson could then schedule a so-called “snap election”, i.e. a short-term parliamentary election.
However, such a maneuver would put Queen Elizabeth II in an awkward position. The monarch would have to decide whether to let Johnson involve her in his political struggle for survival. However, the Prime Minister himself has so far ruled out early elections.
Who could succeed Johnson as Prime Minister?
The fact that no one in the Tories has dared to openly challenge Johnson is one reason why the now unpopular prime minister is still in office. On Wednesday evening, Attorney General Suella Braverman was the first to announce her candidacy to succeed Johnson.
Former Health Minister Sajid Javid and ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak are also said to have ambitions for the seat of government at 10 Downing Street. The same applies to Secretary of State Liz Truss and the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Zahawi. However, Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, who currently serves as Secretary of State for International Trade, is currently leading the English bookmakers.
The former British health minister could become his successor if Johnson resigns.
(Photo: dpa)
Who will rule Britain if Johnson resigns or is forced out of office?
Should Johnson give up, Vice Prime Minister Dominic Raab would probably continue to run government business for a transitional period. The Tories would then have to determine their new party leader and thus the new prime minister in an internal party election process.
It would take a few weeks for the new party and government leadership to be filled. It is also considered likely that a new prime minister could call new elections in the foreseeable future to have his mandate confirmed by British voters.
What is the background of the crisis?
Johnson was already politically hit by the “Partygate” affair after receiving a ticket for attending a birthday party during the corona lockdown.
However, the current government crisis was sparked by his handling of Christopher Pincher, who was expelled from the party for sexual assault. Johnson promoted Pincher to deputy faction leader in February, even though he was aware of his propensity for sexual assault at the time.
At first, the prime minister denied having known anything at all about the specific allegations. He was later forced to admit the opposite, but claimed he had forgotten. In the Partygate scandal, Johnson had also assured parliament that there had been no celebrations in the government district during the lockdown. A committee of inquiry is now examining whether the prime minister knowingly lied to parliament.
More: One lie too many: Boris Johnson is about to end his political career