The Week Junior - UK (2022-06-11)

4

O

n 6 June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson

faced a vote of confidence. Although

he won the vote with 211 Conservative

Members of Parliament (MPs)

supporting him, there were 148

MPs from his own party who voted

against him.

What is a confidence vote?

This was a chance for all Conservative

MPs to secretly vote on whether they have

confidence in Johnson as Prime Minister.

The vote was announced on the morning

of 6 June, after at least 15% of Conservative MPs

sent letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady,

the head of a group within the party called the 1922

Committee. Many Conservative MPs

wrote to Brady after the Sue Gray

report said there were parties

at No.10 Downing Street

(Johnson’s home) during

lockdown. The police had

already punished Johnson for

breaking the law.

Johnson needed more than

half of his MPs (at least 180) to

vote in favour of him. A total of 211

MPs showed their support.

What happens next?

As Johnson won, his leadership can’t be challenged

for another year. However, previous Conservative

Prime Ministers Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher

(see panel) resigned even after winning their

confidence votes. Johnson got less support than May

did in her 2018 confidence vote.

There are two by-elections due on 23 June, in

Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and Tiverton and Honiton,

Devon. These happen when an MP steps down or

dies. If the Conservative Party lose these by-elections

it could mean more pressure on Johnson to resign.

What was the reaction?

Johnson called the outcome a “very good result”.

However, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer described

Johnson as “utterly unfit” for his position and said that

the public are “fed up” with him. The Labour Party are

the Conservatives’ main opposition in Parliament.

WORD WEEK

OF

THE

The Latin word genus (meaning

type or kind) gave us many words

in English, all connected to

ideas of birth and

belonging. “Generous”

came about because

those of noble birth

were thought to be

very kind and giving.

GENEROUS

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Mumtaz Mahal was the wife of Shah Jahān, the

Mughal emperor of India from 1628 to 1658. They

married in 1612 but Mahal died only three years

into her husband’s reign as emperor. She is now

best known as the person who inspired the Taj

Mahal, in Agra, northern India, which her husband

built in her honour. It is one of the most famous

buildings in the world and the couple are both

buried there.

17 June 1631

Mughal empress Mumtaz Mahal dies

Johnson holds on as Prime Minister

PM Margaret Thatcher faced

a leadership challenge in

November 1990, and although

she won 55% of the vote, she

stepped down. In 1995, PM John

Major triggered a leadership

vote himself and won against

his challenger with 218 votes.

Theresa May’s vote of confidence

in 2018 saw her win 63% of the

vote but she resigned six months

later because she felt she’d lost

her party’s support.

148 Conservative MPs

voted against Johnson.

Conservative Party

leadership challenges

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Sir Graham Brady

announces the result.

Mumtaz Mahal

and the Taj Mahal.

Theresa May

UK news

The Week Junior • 11 June 2022