Labour ‘to call vote of no confidence to get rid of Boris Johnson immediately’

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to put forward a confidence motion in the government today following the news that Boris Johnson will stay in office until September.

A general election could be triggered if most MPs vote with the Labour leader.

But the Conservatives have a majority in the Commons, meaning a lot of Tories would have to vote against their own government.

Their actions would potentially remove their own party from power, meaning that whoever is nominated as the next Tory leader may not be prime minister.

Mr Johnson is planning to remain in 10 Downing Street as a caretaker PM until the Conservative leadership contest concludes.

But Labour has argued he should go immediately after nearly 60 resignations in his government forced him to quit.

A source predicted a vote of no confidence would be held on Wednesday.

MPs from all parties would be asked whether they want the government to continue.

If the Conservatives lost, Parliament would normally be dissolved and voters would head to the polls in a general election.

In theory, the monarch could also invite someone who could win a vote of confidence to form a new government.

This hasn’t happened for nearly a century – when King George V asked Labour’s Ramsay MacDonald to form a minority government after Stanley Baldwin’s Conservatives were defeated in a vote in 1924.

The Queen could, in principle, refuse to dissolve Parliament for an election.

This could happen if she thought it was bad for the economy, if the existing Parliament was still capable, or if another PM could get a majority in the Commons.

Almost 100 years later, it is unclear how this would work.

Traditionally, the existing PM should stand down if it’s obvious another person can command the support of the Commons.

Sir Keir had previously threatened to bring the confidence vote to prevent ‘this nonsense about clinging on for a few months’.

‘He’s inflicted lies, fraud and chaos in the country’, he said last week.

‘If they don’t get rid of him then Labour will step up, in the national interest, and bring a vote of no confidence, because we can’t go on with this Prime Minister clinging on for months and months to come.’

Any MP can suggest a vote of no confidence, although there is no guarantee their request will be granted.

Convention in British politics means that if the leader of the opposition proposes one, it will be debated.

It comes as the backbench 1922 committee confirms a new PM is set to be named on 5 September.

There are currently 11 candidates facing off in the Tory leadership contest.

This is set to be cut down as they each require 20 nominations from Tory colleagues to move to the next stage.

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