Reports Graham Brady to announce threshold for vote has been reached
Good morning. After four days of tributes to the nation’s much-loved head of state, attention focuses to the head of government, Boris Johnson, who is held in rather lower esteem than the Queen – both at home and across the world – and who now seems almost certain to face a no-confidence vote of Tory MPs within the next day or two.
A vote of no confidence has to take place when Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench Conservative 1922 Committee, receives letters demanding one from 15% of Tory MPs (which at the moment means 54 of them). There are reports that Brady is set to announce that this threshold has been met within the hour.
This is from ITV’s Paul Brand.
BREAKING: Tory rebels expect Sir Graham Brady to make a statement this morning announcing that there will be a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson.
Only Brady knows the exact details, but this is as certain as anyone has sounded that a vote is on.
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV)
If the format follows previous occasions then Sir Graham Brady will make a short statement to the cameras. A secret ballot of Tory MPs would then follow within days.
It’s only happening when Sir Graham Brady says so, but like I say this is sounding pretty imminent.
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV)
And this is from Lucy Fisher from Times Radio.
BREAKING: A confidence vote in Boris Johnson is set to be announced this morning, I understand.
Sir Graham Brady is expected to make a statement to camera around 8am confirming that the threshold of 54 letters has been met, I’m told.
— Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher)
The Tory MP Sir Roger Gale told the Today programme a few minutes ago that Brady is “tight as a clam” and he has not yet confirmed that an announcement is coming. But broadcasters often tend to hear about these things first (they need to get cameras in place) and at Westminster the assumption is that a vote is now happening. The last time Brady announced a no-confidence vote in a PM (Theresa May), he did so in an announcement at 8am.
Today I will almost exclusively be focusing on the Tory leadership crisis, but there are two events on the agenda worth noting.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
1.30pm: Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee on the cost of living.
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