British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of confidence on Monday, June 6, triggered by discontented lawmakers in his own party.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, 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.
"The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded," Sir Brady wrote in a note to Conservative lawmakers.
For a confidence ballot to be triggered, 54 Tory MPs must formally put in a letter to Sir Brady asking for one.
So far 28 Conservative MPs have publicly called on Johnson to step down.
Johnson's premiership 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. He has also been criticized for his response to a cost-of-living crisis.
The PM's approval ratings have been plunging and there has been a growing sense among some parts of his ruling Conservative Party that he is becoming a liability. The party is facing two difficult parliamentary by-elections later this month.
Discontent seems to have come to a head over a parliamentary break that coincided with celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. For many, the four-day long weekend was a chance to relax — but there was no respite for Johnson, who was booed by some onlookers as he arrived for a service in the queen’s honor at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
In a sign of public displeasure, the Prime Minister was booed Friday by some members of public as he arrived at London's St Paul's Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
