UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday won a no-confidence vote, but was hit by a larger-than-expected rebellion which could seriously undermine his authority.
The vote saw Johnson win 211 votes in his favour and 148 votes against. Frantic last-minute lobbying by the prime minister involved him offering tax cuts in a bid to salvage his struggling premiership.
Johnson has come under increasing pressure after breaking Covid rules on gatherings, known as ‘Partygate’, and became the first prime minister to be found guilty of an offence while in office when he received a fine for illegally attending a party during pandemic restrictions.
Critics of Johnson say he is unfit to hold office after revelations that numerous parties were held at 10 Downing Street during Covid lockdowns, his official residence, with aides getting drunk, throwing up and abusing security staff and cleaners.
They point to his elastic relationship with the truth – on multiple occasions he denied parties were held, despite clear photographic evidence to the contrary, followed by more refutations that he was present.
This led to widespread accusations that Johnson’s administration operated a “one rule for them” policy while millions of people were forced to stay at home and obey the rules he put in place.
There is also widespread criticism of his failure to deliver on key policy pledges while overseeing the biggest rise in the tax burden in decades and coming up with ways to alleviate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on low income earners.
