Can someone tell me what sanctions against Johnson there would be if he lost a vote of confidence but simply refused to accept it? I assume Tory rules don't have legal force. It's a possible scenario that I haven't seen discussed.
Was thinking the same and reading this....
How likely is Johnson to survive a confidence vote?
While it is “relatively easy to see” how rebel Conservative MPs could whip up enough support for 54 letters to be submitted to the 1922 Committee, triggering a confidence vote, it is “much harder to see” how they would reach the 180 votes needed to oust Johnson in such an event, writes The Times’s associate political editor Henry Zeffman.
The prime minister is likely to muster at least 140 votes from MPs on the government “payroll” – that is Cabinet ministers, junior ministers, and parliamentary private secretaries – and so it looks “much likelier that Johnson will win but suffer the indignity of a large chunk of his own MPs visibly turning against him.”
If Johnson was able to secure a majority in the event of a no-confidence vote this would theoretically grant him immunity from further challenges to his leadership for another year, “potentially giving him time to steady the ship, rebuild alliances and strengthen his grip over the parliamentary party”, said The Independent.
