Johnson Retains Position as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a vote of confidence from Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom's Conservative Party, according to The Guardian.

During the voting process, 211 parliamentarians supported Johnson, while 148 voted for a vote of no confidence. This means he remains the leader of the Conservatives and the Prime Minister of the country.

To initiate a vote of no confidence, at least 180 votes from the governing Conservative Party's 359 MPs were required. Earlier, 54 MPs, equating to 15 percent of the Conservative Party, sent letters expressing no confidence in Johnson to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the so-called “1922 Committee” (the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons).

The letters were prompted by the Prime Minister's participation in parties held at Downing Street during the lockdown period. Johnson found himself at the center of a scandal when it was revealed that his attendance at these parties occurred during the most intense phase of the coronavirus fight in the UK. It was discovered that British leaders, while participating in such events, violated the very restrictions they had imposed on the country.

Several parties were held at Downing Street from 2020 to 2021, during a strict lockdown regime in London. In May, Sue Gray, an official from the British government's administration, published a report on these gatherings, providing information about multiple breaches of coronavirus restrictions within the Prime Minister's office. Johnson attended several events cited in the report, which led to discontent among politicians and the public, accompanied by calls for his resignation, as reported by Interfax.