He narrowly escaped a motion of impeachment last month, but a succession of ministerial resignations has put the British prime minister in a very difficult position.
Today found him British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attached to power, but badly hurt by it resignation of ministers of, who deemed him unfit for governing the country, while an increasing number of MPs are calling for his resignation.
Johnson narrowly escaped from a motion of censure tabled in parliament last month, with a vote of confidence granting him immunity for 12 months from another. However some Conservative MPs are trying to change party rules to shorten this immunity period.
Other MPs also appealed to the ministers of his government to move against him.
How could Johnson be forced to resign and how might the process to find his replacement work?
Here is a list of ways this could be done:
- Johnson could decide himself that he has lost the support of too many members of his party and his cabinet and resign. So far he has shown no intention of doing so.
- Other members of his cabinet could also quit and ask Johnson to leave, almost certainly forcing him to resign. But media reports say other senior members of his cabinet, including Home Secretary Liz Truss, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Prime Minister Michael Gove, remain in place.
- Some MPs are trying to change the party’s rules so they can hold another no-confidence vote earlier than is now allowed. Elections for the members of the so-called 1922 Committee, which defines the rules of the party, are expected to be held soon.
Finding a successor:
If Johnson is forced out, it will be held process to find a new leader. Here’s how such a process, overseen by the 1922 Commission, is likely to work.
- Those who will be able to run for the leadership will have to be chosen by two other Conservative MPs. There can be a wide field of candidates.
- Conservative MPs will then hold a few rounds of voting to whittle down the number of candidates. Each time they are asked to vote for the candidate of their choice in a secret ballot and the person with the fewest votes is eliminated.
- This process is repeated until only two candidates remain. Previously, these votes were held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Conservative Party members are then asked to cast a postal vote, choosing one of the two finalists who will ultimately be the new leader.
- The leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons is the de facto prime minister. They don’t have to call early elections, but they have the ability to do so.
How long will this all take?
The length of time this process can take varies, depending on how many come forward. Theresa May was elected leader less than three weeks after her predecessor David Cameron resigned in 2016 as all other candidates dropped out midway through the process.
Johnson faced former health secretary Jeremy Hunt in the second round of Conservative MPs’ vote to replace May in 2019 and took office two months after she announced her intention to stand down.
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