British writer Kitty Donaldson: Johnson will remain weak even though he survived the impeachment
The vote of no-confidence is a slap in the face for Johnson.
Reuters
British writer Kitty Donaldson believes that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has withstood the rebel challenge against him and will remain the leader of the Conservative Party, although his margin of victory in the no-confidence vote would weaken him and unveil the divisions that still likely to drown him.
A secret vote by the British Parliament resulted in 211 Conservative Party members voting in favor of Johnson, to 148 against.
After the result of the vote was announced, Johnson said the government could now "move forward" after a "convincing" and "decisive" result in the Conservative MPs' no-confidence vote, British news agency BA Media reported.
PA Media quoted Johnson as saying he was "certainly not interested in an early election" after winning a vote of confidence in his leadership.
On the other hand, the leader of the opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, said after the result of the vote that Johnson was "completely incompetent for the big position he holds", and accused Tory MPs of ignoring British public opinion.
"The Conservative government now believes that breaking the law is not an obstacle to making laws," Starmer added.
In a report published by Bloomberg News, Kitty Donaldson says that the rebellion faced by Johnson is greater than that faced by Theresa May, his predecessor, who resigned after failing to unite the party.
Pressure has been mounting on Johnson for weeks due to what has become called the “Party Gate” events, that is, the parties that were held in the government headquarters in Downing Street, amid the outbreak of the “Corona” pandemic, and at a time when the country was witnessing strict closure rules to contain the spread of the virus, due to which it was exposed Johnson to a police fine.
But resentment among MPs has gone beyond legal rallies, and Johnson's leadership is likely to remain unstable despite winning the vote.
Donaldson says that many in Johnson's party were frustrated by their defense of the controversial policies, yet the government took the opposite steps. A big tax on energy companies was a proposal by the opposition Labor Party, which Johnson rejected, before he later embraced the idea.
The government spending increases angered some Conservative party members, while others worried that Johnson's plan to roll back the European Union's withdrawal agreement (Brexit) regarding Northern Ireland would represent a violation by their party of international law.
Recent history suggests that Johnson's term in office could end before he has a chance to participate in the next election, currently scheduled for 2024.
Donaldson asserts that the vote in itself is a blow to Johnson.
The reason for doing so was for 15 percent of Conservative Party members of Parliament to submit letters of impeachment against a leader who led his party in 2019 to its biggest general election victory in more than three decades.
Under the current rules, MPs will not be allowed to request another vote of no-confidence for a year.
However, it will be possible to change the rules in order to have another vote before that year.
On Monday, former minister Jesse Norman published a letter sharply criticizing Johnson, accusing him of "lack of responsibility".
Jon Penrose, who was appointed by Johnson to lead the anti-corruption commission, also resigned, saying Johnson had violated Britain's ministerial code of conduct, which naturally leads to his resignation.
Donaldson points out that the Conservatives' fears that Johnson may cost them the loss of the upcoming elections will be exacerbated by recent opinion polls that the party will face defeat in a by-election to be held on June 23.
The rebellion Johnson faced was even greater than that faced by Theresa May, his predecessor, who resigned after failing to unite the party.
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