No Confidence in Boris Johnson Vote Odds Hint At Tory Rebellion

The chances of Boris Johnson having a ‘vote of no confidence’ put before him by his fellow Conservative MPs is increasing as the prime minister grapples with a party rebellion over his most recent coronavirus measures.

Johnson has set out a new tier system in England that will plunge many northern Conservative constituencies into strict social distancing measures.

The move comes after a short national lockdown and is part of the government’s efforts to combat a second wave of the virus with Christmas looming.

But not everyone supports the plans. Reports warn of a Tory rebellion as strong as 70 MPs are fighting back over the proposals, with concerns over the economic impact of the restrictions.

And the fresh battle between Johnson and his own backbenchers has seen the odds of a political coup within government come in to a new low.

Johnson Vote Of No Confidence

The latest UK politics betting odds have a price of 54/5 on 15 or more MPs writing to the influential 1922 Committee requesting a vote of no confidence in the prime minister.

The party has historically had no qualms over ousting its own PM if required. Margaret Thatcher was famously hounded out of office in 1990, while Theresa May was manoeuvred into quitting in 2019 to make way for Johnson.

Such a move would not only be contentious but also threaten to pull Johnson’s government apart.

Conservative backbenchers are already concerned over the direction of Brexit negotiations, with many of those in northern constituencies voted in on the back of Johnson’s pledge to ‘Get Brexit Done’ at the 2019 general election.

There is a very real possibility of the UK defaulting to a No Deal Brexit with the EU, or possibly even extending trade talks past the January 1, 2021 deadline – which would be unpalatable for many leave-leaning MPs.

Added to this the economic impact Covid-19 has already had on the country, as well as the struggles Conservative MPs had in accessing No 10 during the Dominic Cummings era, and all is not well within the party.

Local Elections Looming

According to the Mirror, one Tory MP has already broken ranks and is ready to challenge the PM for the leadership.

A number are being recruited in an effort to “topple” Johnson and have a more popular face in No 10 before the spring local elections. There are concerns the Tories will suffer huge losses in the upcoming May vote, with Labour likely to be the beneficiaries.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is currently the 5/2 favourite to be the next UK prime minister, with Michael Gove (15/2) and Jeremy Hunt (12/1) not far behind.