UK PM Johnson Survives Tory MPs' No-confidence Vote

London, June 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Jun, 2022 ) :British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday survived a vote of no confidence from his own Conservative MPs.

Just over two years after he won a landslide general election victory, the Brexit figurehead again proved his ability to escape political hot water to maintain his grip on power.

Meanwhile, 211 Tory MPs backed him, 148 did not.

Johnson, 57, needed the backing of 180 MPs to survive the vote -- a majority of one out of the 359 sitting Conservatives in parliament.

Defeat would have meant an end to his time as party leader and prime minister until a replacement was found in an internal leadership contest.

- Rebuild trust - Johnson has steadfastly refused to resign over "Partygate".

He earlier defended his record on delivering Brexit, fighting the Covid pandemic and Britain's hawkish support for Ukraine against Russia.

"This is not the moment for a leisurely and entirely unforced domestic political drama and months and months of vacillation from the UK," he told Tory MPs, according to a senior party source.

"We have been through bumpy times before and I can rebuild trust," the prime minister told his parliamentary rank and file, according to the source, adding: "The best is yet to come."Supporters could be heard cheering and thumping their tables in approval.

The source said Johnson had indicated tax cuts could be in the offing as Britain contends with its worst inflation crisis in generations.