UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins confidence vote but takes major hit

The UK Prime Minister came under fire after pictures showed him attending parties while the rest of the country was in lockdown.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Picture: Matt Dunham/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Boris Johnson has survived a major scare and will remain UK Prime Minister after narrowly winning a no confidence vote on his leadership of the Conservative Party.

Mr Johnson’s 359 Conservative MPs voted in a simple yes-or-no secret ballot to decide whether he should stay on as leader of the party, and therefore as PM.

He required a simple majority of 180 votes to stay on as leader, and won the vote 211 to 148.

While he will remain as Prime Minister, the vote will be seen as a major blow to Mr Johnson’s premiership.

Putting a brave face on the defeat, Mr Johnson insisted “we are going to bash on - we have a huge agenda and we are going to crack on.”

The PM said it was time to move on following an “extremely good” and “decisive” result in the vote of confidence, saying it was “very good news”.

But the scale of the revolt leaves him wounded and will keep speculation swirling that he could throw in the towel.

His 59 per cent support margin is much worse than what doomed Theresa May achieved just months before she fell on her sword.

One senior Tory told The Sun: “That is a catastrophic result for Boris.”

Another added: “He must listen to the sheer scale of the rebellion and go now. for the sake of the country.”

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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie react during the Platinum Pageant in London. Picture: Leon Neal / Pool / AFP

Mr Johnson has come under fire from all sides in recent weeks after pictures surfaced of him raising a glass at illegal parties held in Downing Street during lockdown in the UK.

Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie were fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a birthday party that she held in his honour.

Despite being found to have broken the law, the PM refused to step down.

A report by top civil servant Sue Gray was later released, showing that several debauched parties were held in Downing Street despite there being limits on social gatherings at the time.

The parties were so boozy that one ended in a fight, while there were reports of a pair of revellers having sex at another.

Mr Johnson was forced to apologise to Downing Street staff after drunk colleagues were found to have abused cleaners as they tidied up their mess.

The Conservative leader has weathered many storms in his political career, and will hope his winning of the no confidence vote will draw a line under the matter.

But with two by-elections approaching that his party is likely to lose, many of his MPs will be worried about the party’s ability to win the next election.

There has also been anger over the handling of the cost of living crisis, with a perceived lack of action from the government as families struggle to put food on the table and heat their homes.

Theresa May, Mr Johnson’s predecessor, won a no confidence vote against her when she was Prime Minister, but was forced to resign months later after her position became untenable.

It remains to be seen whether Mr Johnson still retains the confidence of his Cabinet, but - for the time being - he remains PM.