British Prime Minister Boris Johnson got off with a black eye in the vote of no confidence – for the time being. Because the crisis inside and outside the party is far from over. This is how the press commented on Johnson’s Pyrrhic victory.
After the failed vote of no confidence in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the future of the conservative politician is uncertain. Although Johnson won the short-term vote among Tory MPs on Monday evening by 211 votes to 148, he is considered to be severely damaged. With more than 40 percent votes against in his own group, Johnson got a worse result than his predecessor Theresa May, who had to face a vote of no confidence in 2018 at the height of the Brexit quarrels.
While the Conservative Party’s rules now prohibit another no-confidence vote for a period of twelve months, the rules could be changed and the pressure on Johnson is likely to increase one way or another.
This is how the press commented on Boris Johnson’s Pyrrhic victory
“Westfälische Nachrichten” (Münster): “Hardly had the national party on the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s throne ended than the conservatives got serious. The Prime Minister had exaggerated it too much. Intrigues here, an attempt to frustrate punishment there, finally the Corona Parties during lockdown: Johnson misbehaved too often and always acted like he was sacrosanct The fact that the Prime Minister was not sent into the desert by his Tories last night has little to do with loyalty and nothing to do with Nimbus, but solely with lack of courage and flat political pragmatism. On the one hand, his critics could not come up with a strong successor candidate, on the other hand, too many MPs are economically dependent on drips from the current government. Embarrassing, but true: the prime minister’s farce goes on – for the time being.”
“Neue Zürcher Zeitung”: “The no-confidence vote won by Johnson on Monday evening in the conservative lower house faction with a share of less than 60 percent of the MPs will have an effect well beyond the day. It sets an important mark on the path to decline. Not at all once primarily for Boris Johnson; this muscle man of a politician will always remain himself and fight. No, the massive vote of no confidence against Johnson makes clear the extent of the uncertainty and disorientation that the conservative party seized years ago and that is now increasingly dangerous proportions accepts.”
“Augsburger Allgemeine”: “The Tories have made it clear more than once that they will get rid of him if they want to – one way or the other. Johnson was used strategically to push through Brexit; and just as strategically he will be gotten rid of again, for For example, when the right successor to the post appears on the horizon. […] Had the Tories ditched Johnson now, who knows, maybe it would have given some British people hope in the integrity of politicians as well [. ..] They must have missed this chance, once again and maybe for a very long time.”
Deutsche Welle: “With this vote at the latest, [Johnson] has lost his special political power, namely that of the brilliant, eternal political winner. The paint is off and the Prime Minister is irreparably damaged. No matter how long he stays in office, that’s likely Johnson is at best limping further rather than making big leaps. As a vote on the character of this Prime Minister, the result is a debacle.”
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “Even before the result was announced, Johnson’s supporters were appealing to the party to stand together again. That is exactly what was heard from Theresa May’s supporters when Johnson’s predecessor had won her vote of no confidence with a large majority. Johnson’s result is worse. May didn’t use her victory. And even now a ‘civil war’ within the party is looming. It is therefore not likely that Johnson will be better off, although one has to admit that Johnson is the far better ‘salesman’ of himself , when it was May.”
“Süddeutsche Zeitung”: “211 times ‘Yes’ in the vote of no confidence on Monday evening may mean that the Tories gave their prime minister at least a mathematical vote of confidence. But mathematics alone should hardly be enough to calm Johnson’s critics […] According to the party statutes Johnson is now safe for a year, formally the vote of confidence may not be asked again during this time.But especially a man for whom formalities are as important as straight hair should know that there is no internal party rule that cannot be broken when the situation calls for it.”
