London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 08, 2025

No confidence vote in Boris Johnson: What happens next?

No confidence vote in Boris Johnson: What happens next?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won a vote of confidence in his leadership of the Conservative Party by 211 to 148.

The secret ballot was triggered after at least 54 Tory MPs wrote letters saying they no longer supported Mr Johnson.


What was the result of the confidence vote?


All 359 Conservative MPs took part in the vote.

Mr Johnson received the support of 211 Conservative MPs, with 148 voting against him.

The result means that Mr Johnson was supported by 59% of his own MPs. This is a lower than Theresa May who received the backing of 63% of Tory MPs in 2018, but ended up resigning six months later.

As the ballot was held in secret, Tory MPs won't have to say how they voted, but some will choose to do so.

Among those able to take part was a Tory MP who had been told to stay away from Parliament, after being accused of rape and sexual assault. As he was not suspended from the party, he would have been allowed a proxy vote.


What happens now Mr Johnson has won?


Having survived the vote, Mr Johnson can continue as Conservative Party leader and therefore prime minister.

Under current rules, Tory MPs will not be allowed to hold another confidence vote for a year.

However, there has been speculation some could try to change the rules, to hold another vote sooner. When asked about it, Sir Graham Brady MP - who oversees the process - said "technically, it's possible".

Despite having won the vote, Mr Johnson still faces challenges. On 23 June, by-elections to pick new MPs in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton will be held. Both seats were previously held by the Conservatives and if they were to be lost to opposition parties, Mr Johnson could find himself under renewed pressure.


What is a confidence vote and why was it held?


An attempt by Conservative MPs to remove their leader is known as a vote of confidence.

Pressure on the prime minister has grown following the publication of details of Downing Street parties which broke Covid rules.

A report, by senior civil servant Sue Gray, said many of the gatherings "should not have been allowed".

This prompted some Conservative MPs to hand in letters calling for Mr Johnson to resign.

Under the party's own rules, a confidence vote is triggered if at least 15% of Tory MPs write a letter to Sir Graham Brady - the chairman of a group called the 1922 Committee, which represents them.



Previous Tory leadership challenges


*  Theresa May: In a vote over her Brexit policy, Mrs May survived a confidence vote with a majority of 83 in December 2018. Despite winning, she resigned as PM six months later

*  Iain Duncan Smith: Following months of speculation the Tory leader narrowly lost a confidence vote in October 2003 and resigned

*  John Major: Triggered a contest in 1995 by resigning as leader of the Tory party (though not as prime minister) amid disagreements inside the party over Europe. Mr Major beat challenger John Redwood, but went on to lose the 1997 election

*  Margaret Thatcher: Resigned as PM in 1990 after failing to win outright victory for party leadership. She beat Michael Heseltine by 204 votes to 152, but was persuaded to stand down by her Cabinet

What would have happened if Mr Johnson had lost?


Had Mr Johnson lost the vote he would have been required to resign.

This would have triggered a Conservative leadership contest where the eventual winner would have become prime minister.


How would a leadership contest work?


In order to stand in a leadership contest, candidates need the support of eight other Tory MPs.

If more than two candidates stand, Tory MPs will hold a series of votes until only two remain.

*  in the first round, candidates must get 5% of the votes to stay in the running (18 MPs)

*  in the second round, they must get 10% (36 MPs)

*  in the following rounds, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated

When two MPs are left, Conservative Party members around the country - not just MPs - will vote for the winner.

If all but one of the candidates withdraw (as happened when Theresa May became leader in 2016), the remaining candidate becomes Conservative Party leader.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×