A TORY MP has said that the threshold for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister would be reached “in a couple of hours” if the 1922 Committee changed the rules.
Following a disastrous appearance in front of the Committee yesterday, Truss’s position is coming under increasing pressure.
Both her and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng are facing calls to re-think the measures which were introduced in the mini-Budget.
READ MORE: We're offering a year-long subscription – at any price you can afford
In a post on social media, associate political editor at The Times Henry Zeffman said: “ ‘If the 22 changed the rules, we’d hit the threshold for a confidence vote in a couple of hours’, a Tory MP tells me.
"If the 22 changed the rules, we'd hit the threshold for a confidence vote in a couple of hours", a Tory MP tells me.
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) October 13, 2022
Safe to say the mood is sulphurous in parliament this morning
“Safe to say the mood is sulphurous in parliament this morning.”
Could Liz Truss face a vote of no confidence?
Under the current rule book, the PM cannot face a confidence vote until a full year has elapsed since the start of her leadership.
However, it seems there is a lot of appetite among MPs to have this changed given the increasing pressure Truss is coming under.
In order to force a vote, 15% of the parliamentary party – currently 54 Tory MPs – have to submit a letter of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady – the chairman of the 1922 Committee.
Once this threshold has been met, a no confidence vote is triggered.
What is a vote of no confidence?
The vote itself involves all MPs who decide whether they want the government to continue.
It can trigger a general election and could see a new prime minister appointed.
Boris Johnson previously faced a vote of no confidence which he was able to survive, although he ultimately resigned following a series of Cabinet resignations.
Could Liz Truss resign?
It seems highly unlikely that Truss would resign having only been appointed last month.
However, if the mood continues to shift against the PM, Tory MPs could feasibly force a leadership challenge.
This would then trigger another Tory leadership contest, with the winner taking over both the party and the position of prime minister.
Why has faith in Truss collapsed?
A recent YouGov poll showed that Liz Truss is more unpopular than Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn ever was.
Her and her Chancellor’s disastrous mini-Budget led to intervention from the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund.
Whilst the recent announcement saw the cap on banker bonuses scrapped, Truss is coming under increasing pressure to raise benefits in line with inflation as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon's 'detest Tories' comment borders on hate crime, says Tory MSP
One anonymous Tory minister told ITV’s political editor Robert Peston that Tory MPs would prefer a general election and lose their seats to the current economic crisis.
Elsewhere, another “Truss supporter” told TalkTV’s political editor Kate McCann that the PM is “carboard and we just have to accept that”.
They added: “We’re going to lose [the next election]. Nothing makes any difference now, we’re f****d”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel