amna: We returned to the U.K.
Where prime minister Boris
Johnson survived a parliamentary
vote of no confidence today.
William brangham has more on
what the move means for
Johnson's ability to lead.
William: Amna, this was seen as
the most direct threat yet to
Mr. Johnson, a rebuke by his own
members for holding these
parties while the rest of his
nation was in covid lockdown.
Though he survived today's vote,
many think he's left in a
much weakened position,
politically.
But after the vote, Johnson
vowed to press ahead with the
nation's business.
Pm Johnson: Although you may
want to focus on me and on
politics, [indiscernible]
What we deliver and what we do.
As a result of this decision by
the party, which I welcome, we
have a conclusion to something
that has been dragging on for
far too long and we have the
ability to unite and deliver and
that is what we will do.
William: For more on this we
turn to robin Niblett director
, of the international think
tank, Chatham house.
Robin Niblett, welcome back to
the newshour.
The prime minister survives this
vote, but can you help us
understand how he got to this
precipice in the first place?
We have seen politicians in the
U.S. Violate covid lockdowns,
Democrats and Republicans, and
they survived it here and why
was this more severe?
Robin: It is a culmination of
many items.
Boris Johnson has always been a
divisive figure within the
conservative party, though he
secured a historically large
election victory at the end of
2019.
He was always a divisive figure
within the party ahead of it.
It led to the rejection of
Theresa may as the prime
minister during the Brexit
process.
The minute it looked like he was
playing fast and loose with the
truth, an issue that is affected
so many, the covid lockdowns,
where the government told people
to follow laws about social
distancing, not mixing even in
the workplace, to see the prime
minister flaunting those laws,
played into the narrative of him
as someone that plays fast and
loose with the truth.
An elitist approach, that can
get to the British public.
This combined with the fact
people are worried, having just
returned from a spring break as
we had, I half term recess for
parliament, people heard the
results of a report by a British
civil servant that was delayed,
has really hit home.
The fact the prime minister in
the previous police
investigation received a fine
for breaking the law, the fact
this happened under his watch
and his apologies have been
halfhearted, I apologized for
what happens, rather than for
what he did, is getting under
the skin of mp's in particular.
William: He makes it through
this vote, but is he wounded
politically?
What does the future look like
for Boris Johnson?
Robin: He is definitely wounded.
The amount of mp's who voted
against him, 148-359, that is a
much higher number than I think
people expected.
There are 173 conservative
members of parliament who have
positions granted by the prime
minister.
You would expect him to have at
least 175 loyal.
The country can see the party he
leads is divided.
Close to half of it is very
skeptical of his value as a
leader and are worried about the
future.
This undermines his future
agenda.
At least on issues where there
are parliamentarians who
disagree.
Over the Brexit treaty,
immigration policy.
When you have 148 members of
your own party voting against
you, you can lose any close
vote, it is a chance to over --
undermine his authority.
William: This comes as the
nation is celebrating queen
Elizabeth, the jubilee
celebration.
Because of her health, she was
only able to attend some of
those events.
We saw the next king, prince
Charles, was stepping into that
role.
How is that transition going
forward?
Robin: That will go forward when
it goes forward.
There is a clear succession
process.
Prince Charles will be the next
king.
To state the obvious, 70 years
is the longest the U.K. Has ever
had a monarch.
This is a monarch who has taken
the country through so many
changes, from a country emerging
from the rubble of the second
World War two on multiethnic,
multicultural society.
Prince Charles has been
preparing for this role a long
time, but his capacity to earn
the trust of the government will
need to be earned.
It will not simply carryover
from his mother.
There are still hangovers of the
U.K. And the head of state of a
number of former colonies, they
will be looking at that role and
questioning if this has the pull
it had before.
It will be a difficult
transition.
William: Thank you so much for
being here.