UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote on Monday, securing enough support in his party to remain in office despite a rebellion that will likely weaken him as leader and cast a shadow over his future.
While Johnson won, 148 of the 359 Conservative Party Members of Parliament (MPs) voted against him.
Under the rules of the backbench 1922 Committee, which oversaw the vote, the prime minister cannot be challenged again for one year. However, Johnson’s allies will note that his predecessor Theresa May survived a confidence vote of her own by a more significant margin, only to be forced from office some six months later.
The positions of Johnson and May are very different. May was grappling with an ideological schism within the cabinet, party and country over the substance of the post-Brexit arrangement with the European Union.
While her leadership style was a factor, this only became an issue as the policy divide appeared to be impossible to bridge.
For Johnson, it is not a matter of policy but one of personal conduct and perceived lack of integrity having been found to have breached the ministerial code.
