UK Politics, in other words, holy shit!

[mrsukyankee]

Tory MPs to hold no-confidence vote in Boris Johnson. (they can read the winds - there are a LOT of angry people right now, to the point that traditionally conservative Royal supporters boo'd BJ at the Jubilee weekend)


What does this mean?
Tory MPs t Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, has announced that the number of Conservative MPs to have submitted letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson has reached the threshold of 54, triggering a vote on the prime minister’s leadership. This is how the process works:



How was a vote triggered?

The rules stipulate that at least 15% of Conservative MPs must submit a letter of no confidence to Brady in order for a ballot to be held. With the Tories having 359 MPs currently, that meant at least 54 had to do this.



The MPs did not have to reveal their identity, though some chose to go public after pressure from their constituents or in an attempt to encourage others to do the same. Letters could be deposited personally to Brady’s Commons office, dropped in by someone else, or emailed. Throughout the process, only Brady knew how many letters had been submitted to hold no-confidence vote in Boris Johnson this evening!

...Under the rules, to stay in office a leader must win at least 50%, plus one vote support from the parliamentary party. That equates to 180 votes for Johnson....

...If Johnson gets fewer than 180 votes then the party will choose a new leader and thus a new prime minister...Under party rules, a leader who wins a confidence vote is safe from such a challenge for 12 months. However, the rules can easily be changed, and it does not bring safety. Constitutionally the UK requires a prime minister in post at all times, meaning Johnson would be expected to continue in No 10 until a successor was picked.
(Quite honestly, if it's even a close win, that will be a disaster, the writing is on the wall that the Conservative party is on their way out regardless, in the next election).


Opinion piece on all of this and what a win or loss will mean. (note, the Guardian opinion pieces do tend to come from left of centre people)

[dancingirl21]

Woah! This seems like a…big deal. Admittedly I know very little about UK politics, but how does it work if they vote him out? It says they will choose someone new, but is that a full country vote? Are there people that you would expect will run?

[audette]

Jun 6, 2022 7:26:15 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

Woah! This seems like a…big deal. Admittedly I know very little about UK politics, but how does it work if they vote him out? It says they will choose someone new, but is that a full country vote? Are there people that you would expect will run?

It would be a party vote - basically the party would choose a new leader, and by being the leader of the party that has a majority in parliament, they become Prime Minister.


(assuming they have a majority, which, I think is the case....  if it's a coalition government, they'd be on shakier footing, and probably would have dissolved parliament well before now)

[NewOrleans]

Well then! Too bad there was any confidence in him at all in 2018-2019!

[aurora]

Good.

What are the chances the party will choose someone in the same mold?

[mrsukyankee]

audette, is correct. The party would vote in a new leader to be there until the next election.

[msmerymac]

Jun 6, 2022 7:26:15 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

Woah! This seems like a…big deal. Admittedly I know very little about UK politics, but how does it work if they vote him out? It says they will choose someone new, but is that a full country vote? Are there people that you would expect will run?

The best way to think about a prime minister is like if our Speaker of the House was actually the leader of the government instead of a separate executive branch. So they can choose someone through party leadership, but then during the next election, people will vote for candidates/parties in their own district (in Canada it's called a Riding, I don't know what they call it in the UK), which is how more than 2 parties are able to flourish in parliamentary systems. 

[msmerymac]

Jun 6, 2022 9:09:58 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

audette , is correct. The party would vote in a new leader to be there until the next election.

I know the government calls for an election, but doesn't it need to be every 4-5 years? When are you due for another?

[mrsukyankee]

Jun 6, 2022 9:14:05 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Jun 6, 2022 9:09:58 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

audette , is correct. The party would vote in a new leader to be there until the next election.

I know the government calls for an election, but doesn't it need to be every 4-5 years? When are you due for another?

It needs to be every five years, at least,  but he called one in 2019 (2 years after last one), which he won. Next general election is scheduled for 2 May,  2024. Boris Johnson could call for an election more quickly if he thinks it will help (and it resets the timberline again).

[mcsangel2]

The British people on my Twitter are skeptical that he'll be ousted, simply because no one else in the Tory party wants to be leader right now?!?!?

[mcsangel2]

And here I must include my obligatory fuck David Cameron for fucking everything up so badly.

[mrsukyankee]

The vote: For Boris Johnson 211, Against 148. Those numbers are NOT good. While he can remain it's worse numbers than when Teresa May resigned. We know he won't resign (he's said he needs to be forced out), but he does not have the authority over his own party when that number vote against him. This is the beginning of the end. He's toast and the public are hating this party more and more. Good.

[mcsangel2]

I feel like this assures the Tories will be voted out next general election.

[ellipses84]

So frustrating! I was really hoping he’d lose the vote today because I think you are right that he won’t resign. I think whoever replaces him is going to have to spend a lot of time trying to fix and being blamed in the aftermath of the conservative gov’t.

[jamaicam]

He lives to fight another day. He really is a piece of slime that seems to slime out of every tight spot he is placed in.

[mrsukyankee]

This is probably the best thing to happen for the country - there will be a lot of anger, he won't have much support from his back benchers and with any elections that come up until the General Election, all of this will be brought up, over and over.

If he had been kicked, the next person who came in could argue that this was all Johnson's problem and now we can say it's a Tory problem. I can't wait to help campaign against them as much as possible. (my area is not conservative so I'll travel)

[jamaicam]

Jun 6, 2022 15:22:36 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

This is probably the best thing to happen for the country - there will be a lot of anger, he won't have much support from his back benchers and with any elections that come up until the General Election, all of this will be brought up, over and over.

If he had been kicked, the next person who came in could argue that this was all Johnson's problem and now we can say it's a Tory problem. I can't wait to help campaign against them as much as possible. (my area is not conservative so I'll travel)

you are completely correct. In terms of the general election, this is the best result. 

I am just terrified by his abilities to slime his way out of everything. 

[BlondeSpiders]

Jun 6, 2022 15:11:02 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

So frustrating! I was really hoping he’d lose the vote today because I think you are right that he won’t resign. I think whoever replaces him is going to have to spend a lot of time trying to fix and being blamed in the aftermath of the conservative gov’t.

This sounds so strangely familiar.

Politics really don't change, no matter where in the world, do they?

[mouse]

Jun 6, 2022 7:21:53 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Tory MPs t Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, has announced

Is 1922 the year they’re trying to take everyone back to?

[mrsukyankee]

Jun 6, 2022 20:49:27 GMT -5 mouse said:

Jun 6, 2022 7:21:53 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Tory MPs t Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, has announced

Is 1922 the year they’re trying to take everyone back to?

LOL. It sometimes feels like it, but no. In each party, there are front benchers and back benchers. The front benchers are the ones that get positions in the government (hold office, like Secretary of State). Everyone else are the back benchers. The 1922 Committee is made up of the back benchers and they have meetings separate from the front benchers. A lot of time, they hold their own party to doing better things because they don't get as much from being in the party than the front benchers.

[HRH Queen Dick I]

mrsukyankee did you see this from Cold War Steve on Twitter?

I can't believe he literally said "I'd do it again" about the parties. No conscience whatsoever. 😓

[mrsukyankee]

HRH Queen Dick I, yup, saw that. So appropriate. The PM is a psychopath.