Last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced the fight of his life with a confidence vote after 54 letters were received by backbenchers to oust him from the top job.
He needed 180 votes to win and received 211 for and 148 against, which was higher than expected with most of the anger triggered by Partygate.
South London MPs spoke exclusively to SWLondoner on what this vote means for their constituents.
Sarah Olney, LibDem MP for Richmond Park said: “Conservative MPs failure to remove this dishonest Prime Minister is an insult to the British public.
“Across Richmond Park, families endured the toughest of lockdowns whilst Boris Johnson and his staff partied.
“Every Conservative MP who cares about decency and honesty must do the right thing, resign the whip and sit as an independent.
“The longer this Prime Minister remains, the worse for our country.”
There is no doubt the vote of confidence has weakened the Prime Minister’s position.
History tells us that a vote of confidence marks the death knell for previous PM’s in the same position.
- Theresa May won the confidence vote in 2018 by 63% but resigned as PM six months later.
- In 1990, Margaret Thatcher stood down two days after receiving a 55% vote of confidence.
- In 1995, John Major won the confidence vote by 66% but was ousted two years later.
- In 2003, the nicknamed quiet man, Ian Duncan Smith lost the confidence vote by 55% and promptly resigned.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham said: “The only thing ‘decisive and conclusive’ about last night’s No Confidence Vote is that Boris Johnson is a dead man walking.
“But the fact Tory MPs couldn’t bring themselves to act on public outrage towards their corrupt leader by deposing him is an indictment of the whole Conservative Party.
“They’re all complicit, not just in letting the Prime Minister get away with breaking his own rules and lying about it, but in allowing him to stagger on, mortally wounded, whilst the country faces the worst cost of living crisis in living memory.”
Fleur Anderson, Labour MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields said: “Boris Johnson’s time as Prime Minister has been an unmitigated disaster.
“Under his leadership, we have lumbered from crisis to crisis, the cost of living is completely out of control, and the country is at breaking point. Conservative MPs last night had the chance to call time on him for the good of the country and I am disappointed that they refused to do so.
“Despite that, his leadership of the Conservative Party and the country is now doomed after 148 of his own MPs voted against him in the no confidence motion.
“We need Boris Johnson to go and more importantly, we need an end to 12 years of instability and failure under the Conservatives. Only Labour can get the country back on track.”
Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall said: “People I speak to across Vauxhall are fed up of a Prime Minister who has failed to step up on the cost of living crisis, presided over a culture of lies and lawbreaking and is utterly unfit for the great office he holds.
“It’s disappointing that Tory MPs did not take the opportunity to listen to the British public and continued to prop up a leader that has no plan to tackle the issues facing people up and down the country.
“Boris Johnson had held a private meeting yesterday afternoon with his MPs and told them he ‘would win for them again.”
It seems they listened to him and gave him their support, for now.
Jeremy Hunt made a bid for the top job with this Tweet.
Senior Conservative member and ex-leader William Hague urged the PM to resign but to no avail.
Many in Westminster think the Prime Minister is a liability and his days are well and truly numbered.
