• Boris Johnson is due to face a leadership vote on Monday evening.
  • It came after at least 15% of Conservative MPs submitted secret letters of no-confidence.
  • Losing the vote could unseat Johnson as Conservative leader and Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson will face a leadership contest Monday evening, it has been confirmed. 

Sir Graham Brady, the Conservative Party MP overseeing the process, said Monday morning that he had received enough letters of no confidence to trigger a vote in the prime minister's leadership.

At least 54 Conservative MPs are required to have submitted letters. Sources told Insider they believed more than 60 had done so.

The vote would take place between 6pm and 8pm on Monday, Brady said. Downing Street was bullish in response to the vote, describing it as an opportunity to "draw a line and move on."

In a statement, he said: "The threshold of 15% of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded. 

"In accordance with the rules a ballot will be held between 18:00 and 20:00 today Monday 6th June - details to be confirmed."

Speaking to journalists immediately after publishing his statement, Brady said the vote would take place in the House of Commons and that the results would be announced "shortly thereafter".

He said: "I notified the prime minister yesterday that threshold had been reached and we agreed a timetable.

"He shared my view, which is also in line with the rules that we have in place, that the vote should happen as soon as reasonably could have taken place."

Brady said some of his Tory colleagues had "asked specifically it should not be until after the jubilee celebrations" – appearing to confirm what sources had claimed last week.

After Brady's announcement, a spokesperson for Downing Street said: "Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people's priorities.

"The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they're united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force."

It came aftter another senior MP published a letter of no confidence Monday morning. 

Jesse Norman, a former Treasury minister, went public with an excoriating letter criticising Johnson for several facets of his leadership and recent policies.

It included "ugly" plans to send failed asylum seekers to Rwanda, as well as the so-called "partygate" scandal in which Johnson and those around broke rules to hold parties in the UK's coronavirus lockdowns.

 

More to follow

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