British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a confidence vote of Tory MPs by 211 to 148. The win comes despite a substantial rebellion by his own MPs.
The confidence vote follows “anger” over senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report detailing lockdown “rule-breaking” in Downing Street.
As Johnson survived the confidence vote, he will now stay in his job as Prime Minister.
The result was announced by chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady. “I can announce that the parliamentary party does have confidence in the Prime minister,” Sir Graham said on Monday night.
Reacting to the development, Johnson said that the result is “decisive”, adding: “What it means is as a government we can move on and focus on the stuff that I think really matters to people.”
“I’m grateful to colleagues and the support they’ve given me… What we need to do now is come together as a government and a party,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by the BBC.
He asserted that “this is a moment and an opportunity to put behind us” the ongoing arguments within the Conservative party from recent months over his leadership.
Johnson received 58.8 per cent of support from the Conservative Party, with 41.2 per cent being against the current leadership. Every single Conservative MP voted.
Under current rules, Tory MPs will not be allowed to hold another confidence vote for a year.
