A vote will be held on Monday to determine whether “this House has confidence in Her Majesty’s government.”
The vote was announced as Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer faced off at PMQs, the prime minister’s first since announcing his resignation and his second last before leaving the role.
Labour MP Chris Bryant called Mr Johnson a “coward” on Tuesday for rejecting a request for a vote of no confidence in the government, describing the move as “unprecedented” for defying convention.
A government spokesman responded by accusing Labour of “playing politics” by delaying a vote of no confidence in the government and the prime minister after Boris Johnson had already resigned. “Because the prime minister has already resigned and a leadership transition is underway, we do not believe this is a worthwhile use of parliamentary time,” said the spokesman.
According to parliamentary convention, a government should always give the Commons time to vote on a motion of no confidence, but the motion was rejected because its wording was not consistent with convention.
A government spokeswoman explained the motion for a confidence vote on Monday, saying, “Labour were given the option to table a straightforward vote of no confidence in the government in keeping with convention, but they chose not to.”
To address this, we are delaying a motion that would allow the House to vote on whether it has confidence in the government.
The government will always make time for appropriate House matters while ensuring that parliamentary business is completed to help improve people’s daily lives.
Labour planned the vote to remove Mr Johnson from Downing Street before the Conservative leadership debate on September 5.
It would have forced Tory MPs to make a difficult choice; many have publicly stated that Mr Johnson does not have their support and should resign, but voting with Labour could trigger a general election, which many polls suggest the Tories would lose.
A simple majority would be required to determine a winner in the vote.
If the government loses Monday’s vote, Parliament will most likely be dissolved and a general election called.
Opposition parties could also try to form a minority government on the assumption that they will win a vote of confidence in the House, but this is unlikely.