British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday survived a vote of confidence in his leadership, as 211 Conservative Party members of Parliament voted in favour of him staying on as their leader. But the end result, which Johnson insisted was decisively in his favour, saw as many as 148 Tory members of Parliament voting against him a 58.8 per cent for versus 41.2 per cent against. That figure led to his critics branding it a damaging outcome for his long-term future as the party leader, while his supporters point out he has the backing of a majority of his party. "I think this is a very good result for politics and for the country," said Johnson.
More than 40 of his Tory MPs have publicly called for Johnson's resignation as the party leader over the scandal of COVID law-breaking parties under his premiership at Downing Street, an issue which remains in the spotlight since the scathing findings of leadership failures in an inquiry by top civil servant Sue Gray.
Under Tory party rules, 54 letters are required to trigger a secret ballot.
Johnson, who is keen to move on from the partygate scandal and has repeatedly tried to shift focus on other pressing government matters such as the cost-of-living crisis, was booed as he arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral for the thanksgiving service to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The Sue Gray report, released after a Scotland Yard probe which saw Johnson and wife Carrie being fined for a lockdown-breaching birthday party in the Cabinet Room of Downing Street in June 2020, laid bare illegal gatherings and questionable staff behaviour within government offices during the 2020-2021 lockdowns to control the spread of coronavirus.
Johnson reiterated a previous apology in the House of Commons last month, saying he took full responsibility for what went on under his watch and that steps have been taken to ensure mistakes aren't repeated. However, besides the Opposition parties, there have been growing calls for him to step down from his own MPs ever since.
-Inputs from PTI
