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Can Boris Johnson Be Forced?
STORY: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clinging to power after the resignation of ministers who said he was not fit to rule and with a growing number of lawmakers calling on him to leave. British opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer said he would welcome a quick election after the departures of Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak: ”We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a change of government and this government is collapsing.” Johnson narrowly survived a confidence vote in June that gave him 12 months immunity. Others called on Johnson’s team of ministers to intervene against him. So how can the Prime Minister be forced to leave, and what is the procedure to find a replacement How can Boris Johnson be forced out of office Johnson could decide that he has the support of too many members of his party and cabinet and reports suggest other senior cabinet members, including Secretary of State Liz Truss and Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace, will remain in place, as some lawmakers have tried to change party rules so they can hold another vote of confidence earlier than currently allowed.Elections for membership of the so-called 1922 committee, which sets the rules, will be held to keep. Finding a Successor If Johnson were impeached, a process to find a new leader would be launched by the 1922 Committee. Candidates running for leadership must be nominated by two other Conservative legislators. There can be a large number of candidates. They then hold several rounds of secret ballots to reduce the number of contenders. This is repeated until there are only two candidates left. They are then sent to a postal ballot for wider Conservative Party membership, with the winner being named the new leader. The leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons is de facto prime minister. They don’t have to call snap elections, but they have the power to do so. Despite Johnson being on the brink, Britain’s new Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi said voters would still support the government: “If we focus on delivery in the second half of this parliament, people will judge on that and I am convinced that if we deliver on that, people will feel very different in two years…” Johnson came to power in 2019 in a landslide election. After this wave of resignations, he vowed to keep fighting, saying he would not quit as prime minister unless the government couldn’t decide to carry on.