Boris Johnson faces a new threat to his post as prime minister as rebel Conservative MPs plan to mobilize party bases to oust him from number 10 this summer, I learned.
Johnson on Monday removed the censure vote from his deputies, but 148 of them, 41% of the total, refused to support him.
MPs are now preparing to react to a double defeat in this month’s by-elections in Tiverton & Honiton and Wakefield by having the presidents of local Conservative associations unleash a vote of confidence in the prime minister.
Under a little-used rule of the Conservative constitution, only 65 local party presidents are needed to convene an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the National Conservative Convention (NCC), an 800-member body representing the base.
The obscure rule was first uncovered by Brexit supporters, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, who conspired to overthrow Theresa May in 2019 for her failure to pass Brexit legislation by a hanging parliament.
Once a meeting is called, a motion of censure will be filed against Johnson. While the result is not binding, its symbolic power would be substantial, rebel MPs believe, and could offer ministers and even cabinet ministers a reason to organize a wave of resignations.
May survived a vote of confidence by her deputies in December 2018 and, according to the 1922 Committee rules, could not be challenged again for another year.
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But grassroots activists successfully triggered an NCC emergency meeting for June 2019. Her request at the time stated “we no longer feel that Ms. May is the right person to continue as Prime Minister.” he planned to use his meeting to approve a motion to that effect.
In the end, the meeting never took place because May gave in to pressure to resign just a few weeks earlier. In addition to the prospect of a new challenge from MPs, the threat of ignominy of such a condemned verdict by the Conservative Party’s “voluntary” wing was enough to force its hand.
The National Convention is made up of presidents of conservative associations from more than 600 constituencies. It also has officials from “areas and regions,” as well as 42 representatives from the Conservative Youth and the Conservative Women’s Organization.
“We only need less than half of the 148 constituency presidents to write to provoke another vote of confidence,” said one rebel MP. “This is the next real push.”
A member of parliament said: “Just before voting on Monday, the president of my constituency told me, ‘I hope you vote it out.’ 2016. And there are more like him ”.
The grassroots push is part of a dual strategy by rebel lawmakers to increase pressure on Johnson.
Evidence of the Common Privileges Committee’s Partygate investigation should be collected and then reported in the fall.
If he finds out that the Prime Minister has deliberately deceived Parliament over non-compliance with the blocking law at number 10, the Commons as a whole could pass a no-confidence motion and Conservative MPs will act quickly to change their rules to allow a second vote of confidence of the deputies. .