2022 vote of confidence in the Johnson ministry

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In July 2022, a motion of confidence in the second Johnson ministry was tabled in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The motion was laid by the government itself and debated on 18 July.[1][2]

A motion of no confidence was first proposed by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, during the July 2022 government crisis in which a historic number of ministers resigned from the government. This resulted in the announcement that Johnson would resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after the Conservative Party leadership election, which is due to end by September 2022. Starmer stated that Johnson could not be allowed to remain in office, given the large-scale revolt by his own ministers. The threat of bringing a no confidence motion to the House of Commons was first made on 7 July, at the height of the government crisis.[3][4]

Labour had intended to present the motion on 12 July, using the following wording: "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government while the Rt Hon Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip remains Prime Minister."[5] This was blocked by the government due to its explicit mention of the Prime Minister. The refusal to find time to debate the motion was described by a Labour spokesperson as a "totally unprecedented and an appalling abuse of power".[6] On 13 July, it was announced that the government would bring a motion of confidence in itself.[1]

During questions to the Leader of the House of Commons, Thangam Debbonaire, the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, criticised the Government for rejecting Labour's motion with no justification in Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice and mentioning that the Conservatives put forward a very similar motion in 1965. Mark Spencer responded, defending the Government's position by saying that the Government has given Labour the confidence vote it requested with "constitutionally accepted" wording.[7] The Government replaced the wording as follows: "That this House has confidence in Her Majesty's Government."[8] An amendment was also tabled by Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey to replace the wording with the following: "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government and in the Prime Minister, and demands that the Prime Minister resign from office immediately."[8]

Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the parliamentary Defence Select Committee, was suspended from the Conservative whip on 19 July after being absent from the vote.[9]

Division

The motion was passed by 347 votes to 238: a majority of 109.

Motion of confidence
Ballot → 18 July 2022
Required majority → 318 out of 635 voting MPs[Note 1] YesY
Ayes
347 / 635
Noes
238 / 635
Abstentions
50 / 635
Sources: Hansard

See also

Notes

References

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