Johnson clings to power, but question is for how long

Bloomberg

Boris Johnson sought to draw a line under the controversy that’s been threatening his leadership, though the scale of a mutiny against the British prime minister suggests his days may be numbered.
The deep discontent within his Conservative Party was laid bare, when 211 Tory MPs backed Johnson in a confidence motion — but 148 voted against him. The rebellion was bigger than the one suffered by predecessor Theresa May, who was ousted as premier six months later after failing to unite the party over leaving the European Union.
The pound briefly dropped to a two-week low before paring declines to trade 0.2% weaker at $1.2512 in London, as traders expect the political turmoil to continue and the country faces a potential recession.
Pressure has been building on Johnson for weeks over so-called “partygate,” events in Downing Street during the pandemic, for which the 57-year-old premier received a police fine. A report by senior civil
servant Sue Gray found many
of them shouldn’t have been
allowed.
But the malaise goes far beyond the illegal gatherings and has been increasing for months. One MP said after the vote, nothing is imminent, but ultimately Johnson is finished.
Johnson steered the party to its biggest general election win in more than three decades in 2019, delivered Brexit and then after a chaotic start to the handling of Covid-19 managed to make the UK a trailblazer for vaccinations.
More recently, though, many within his party have been frustrated at having to defend controversial policies only for the government to then U-turn.
A windfall tax on energy firms was proposed by the opposition Labour Party and rejected by Johnson before he later adopted the idea. Increases in government spending have angered some Conservatives, while others are concerned his plan to rip up the Brexit deal over Northern Ireland will see their party break international law.
Johnson led a cabinet meeting in a bid to turn the page on the divisive vote, urging ministers to “come forward” with ways to cut costs and show voters the government is delivering on
priorities including reducing health care backlogs.
“We’ve got to make sure that as we spend, make these colossal investments — which I repeat I think is the morally and economically the right thing to do — we’ve got to get value out of it,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure people see that they are getting the services they need when they want.”
He spent pleading with MPs to back him, with loyal lieutenants defending him in
broadcast interviews. He also attempted to appease his critics within the party by promising tax cuts.
The question is now much authority Johnson can continue to command, according to John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
“It’s not a given that Johnson will lead the party into the next election,” he said. “The result is bad enough to raise questions about the long-term future of his leadership.”
Recent history suggests Johnson’s time in office could come to an end before he gets a chance to fight the next election, currently scheduled for 2024.