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Buckingham Palace declines to comment on whether the Queen has spoken with Johnson
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is beneath growing stress from his personal Conservative get together to resign. Below the UK political system, between elections, solely Conservative members of Parliament have the facility to take away a sitting Conservative prime minister.
Here is how issues may play out within the subsequent hours or days:
If Boris Johnson refuses to give up, can he be pushed out by a vote of no confidence from Conservative get together lawmakers?
As get together guidelines stand proper now, no. He survived a confidence vote on June 6, which ought to imply he can’t face one other confidence vote for a yr. However lawmakers who wish to eliminate him have raised the opportunity of altering the principles.
Even when they don’t undergo the formal means of voting no confidence in Johnson, he could also be doomed. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa Could survived a confidence vote in opposition to her management in December 2018 — by an even bigger margin than Johnson bought in June –and was nonetheless out of workplace by the next summer time.
Does a Johnson resignation set off a normal election?
No. It begins the Conservative Celebration course of for selecting a brand new chief of the get together. UK Prime Ministers usually are not straight elected by the individuals; Johnson is prime minister as a result of he’s the top of the biggest get together within the Home of Commons. The Conservatives will nonetheless be the biggest get together even when Johnson quits or is dumped, so the brand new head of the get together will turn into prime minister.
How is the brand new Conservative Celebration chief chosen?
Management candidates want the help of at the very least eight lawmakers. If there are greater than two candidates, Conservative get together lawmakers maintain spherical after spherical of votes to whittle the variety of management candidates down to 2. Then Conservative get together members nationwide vote (by mail!) between the 2 finalists. The winner turns into chief of the get together – and prime minister.
Who’s prime minister whereas all this occurs?
Boris Johnson. He’ll stay in workplace as caretaker prime minister till his alternative is chosen.
Then he submits his resignation to the Queen, in particular person. The Palace will announce formally that Queen Elizabeth II has accepted Johnson’s resignation, and can say who she has invited to turn into prime minister to switch him. (It is a formality; she is going to select the chief of the Conservative Celebration.)
Does the brand new prime minister should name a normal election?
No. The UK isn’t scheduled to have one other normal election till December 2024. The brand new prime minister may select to ask Parliament to vote for an early election, however isn’t required to take action.