UK PM Johnson survives Tory MPs' no-confidence vote
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday survived a vote of no confidence from his own Conservative MPs, after a string of scandals that have left the party's standing in tatters.
Just over two years after he won a landslide general election victory, the Brexit figurehead again proved his ability to escape political hot water to maintain his grip on power.
But the "Partygate" controversy over lockdown-breaking events at Downing Street, which saw him become the first serving UK prime minister to have broken the law, has still severely weakened his position.
While 211 Tory MPs backed him, 148 did not.
Johnson, 57, needed the backing of 180 MPs to survive the vote -- a majority of one out of the 359 sitting Conservatives in parliament.
Defeat would have meant an end to his time as party leader and prime minister until a replacement was found in an internal leadership contest.
In previous Tory ballots, predecessors Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May both ultimately resigned despite narrowly winning their own votes, deciding that their premierships were terminally damaged.
Johnson has steadfastly refused to resign over "Partygate".
He earlier defended his record on delivering Brexit, fighting the Covid pandemic and Britain's hawkish support for Ukraine against Russia.
