Boris Johnson faces leadership vote, could be dumped as UK Prime Minister

The British PM faces a crunch leadership vote that could see him ousted, after being booed at the Queen’s jubilee thanksgiving service.

Boris Johnson will face crunch leadership vote. Picture: Leon Neal / Pool / AFP.

Boris Johnson will face a crunch leadership vote tonight that could see him dumped as UK Prime Minister after being challenged by rebels within his governing Conservative Party.

Mr Johnson has insisted he relishes the do-or-die confidence vote as a chance to silence his Tory rebels once and for all.

More than 54 Conservative MPs have submitted no confidence letters, triggering a yes-or-no vote on whether the party has confidence in Mr Johnson’s leadership.

It sets up a dramatic secret ballot overnight, with Conservative MPs voting on whether to stick with or ditch Mr Johnson. The result is expected sometime after 5am AEST.

If a majority of Conservative MPs vote to oust Mr Johnson, a leadership election will be triggered - and Boris would be unable to run in that. The leadership campaign would likely drag on for weeks, with Mr Johnson still serving as Prime Minister until a replacement can be found.

The PM has vowed to fight tooth and nail to squash the revolt and stay in Downing Street.

No10 said the PM relished the “chance to end months of speculation and allow the Government to draw a line and move on.”

A spokeswoman said: “The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”

The Sun understands he will write to all backbenchers within his party insisting it would be “destructive, decisive and distracting” to change leader now.

Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid said this morning that the PM “will fight his corner with a very, very strong case”.

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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a crunch leadership vote that could see him ousted within hours. Picture: Leon Neal / Pool / AFP.

But if the size of the mutiny surpasses 180 MPs he will be ousted and a fresh contest for a new leader will take place.

Disgruntled rebels seized on voters booing the PM this weekend as he attended a Platinum Jubilee service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

A steady drumbeat of rebellion has been building since the Sue Gray report into lockdown-busting parties was published last month.

A lack of action to tackle the cost of living crisis has also been cited as rebel reasons for Mr Johnson to go.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee, made an announcement this morning. Picture: Jack Taylor/Getty Images.

This morning ex-finance minister Jesse Norman broke cover as the latest Tory MP to join the rebellion.

Writing a long letter of no confidence, he said: “I have supported Boris Johnson for 15 years, for the London Mayoralty and for PM.

“Very sadly, I have written to him to say I can no longer do so”.

Anxious MPs say Mr Johnson is not the electoral superstar who won landslide in 2019 and fear they will lose their seats if he leads the party into the next election.

A brutal briefing being shared warns the PM “is no longer an electoral asset and, if left in post, will lead the Party to a substantial defeat in 2024”.

They fear 160 Tory MPs could lose their seats with Boris still in power, turning a “defeat into a landslide”.

The briefing says: “The entire purpose of the government now appears to be the sustenance of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

“MPs are having to defend the indefensible, not for the sake of the party, but for one man.”

But Mr Johnson’s chief of staff Steve Barclay slammed rebellious colleagues and said “continued internal factionalisaton would be indefensible”.

Mr Johnson has apologised for “Partygate” and begged the nation to move on so he can focus on the cost of living crisis and Ukraine.

He hopes to reset the agenda by focusing on health and with a new right-to-buy scheme for housing association tenants, unveiled in a key speech on Thursday.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.