(Bloomberg) — UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a confidence vote on Monday after scores of his MPs submitted letters calling for him to step aside.
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The secret ballot will be held between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Westminster, with the result due to be announced shortly after.
Johnson’s premiership is unraveling less than a year after his boosters were talking of a decade in power that would reshape the country after Brexit, his signature achievement. While the 57-year-old prime minister’s supporters are insisting he’ll win the vote, history suggests that even that is unlikely to restore his authority and give the government a renewed long-term outlook.
Key Developments:
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Johnson Faces UK Tory Leadership Vote as Party Anger Boils Over
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Tories Fear Johnson May Call Snap Election If He Faces Rebellion
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Pound Traders in Untested Waters as Johnson Faces Rebellion
Davis Says Jubilee Weekend Prompted Move (1:45 p.m.)
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, a leading figure in an attempt to oust Boris Johnson in February, said the long weekend to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne was key to triggering Monday’s vote.
Tory MPs would have heard the criticism of Johnson and partygate over the long weekend in their districts, Davis told Times Radio. He also predicted the prime minister will “hang on” even if he wins by a single vote. “That’s the nature of the man,” he said.
Johnson himself endured booing from crowds and jokes at his expense during the Platinum Jubilee. One of the most humiliating aspects of partygate for the prime minister came when he was forced to apologize to the Queen for a party in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral.
Gambling Markets Expect Johnson Victory (12:45 p.m.)
Gamblers on the Betfair Exchange, which allows punters to bet against each other at odds they set, clearly expect Boris Johnson to win the confidence vote on Monday night.
The British prime minister is trading at odds of 1.23 to secure the 180 Tory votes to survive, meaning a £1 bet would return £1.23, including the stake. The odds on him losing the vote were 5.1.
Rees-Mogg: Single-Vote Margin Enough for PM (12:25 p.m.)
Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said winning by a single vote would give Boris Johnson a mandate to continue, despite previously calling on Theresa May to resign even after she easily won a confidence vote in 2018.
“One is enough. That’s the rule in a democracy — if you win by one you win,” Rees-Mogg said during a broadcast round on Monday. He urged Tory MPs to back Johnson, saying they owed the prime minister for the party’s landslide general election victory in 2019. “A mandate from the British people cannot be taken away lightly.”
Asked about his comments on May, he said he had learned from his mistake.
Johnson’s Anti-Corruption Tsar Resigns (11:30 a.m)
Conservative MP John Penrose, who Johnson appointed to lead on his anti-corruption agenda, has resigned his position, saying the British premier has broken the country’s ministerial code.
“I hope you will now stand aside so we can look to the future and choose your successor,” Penrose said in his resignation letter.
Jeremy Hunt Calls on Johnson to Resign (11:25 a.m.)
Jeremy Hunt, who was foreign secretary in the Tory government toppled by Johnson in 2019, says that anyone who cares about keeping the Conservatives in power at the next election should vote to oust the prime minister.
“Today’s decision is change or lose,” Hunt said in a tweet. “I will be voting for change.”
Hunt has been touted as a potential successor if the party opts to return to its more traditional values after the upheaval of Johnson’s time in office.
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