NICOLA Sturgeon has responded to Tory demands for a fresh no-confidence vote in the Prime Minister by reminding them that “people have the right to change their minds”.
Andrew Bowie, Tory MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, revealed he was among the Conservatives writing to the 1922 Committee demanding another chance to have their say on Boris Johnson’s leadership.
It is only a month since the party voted to keep Johnson in place, with 40% of his MPs failing to support his position. Under the current rules, he is safe from a leadership challenge for another year.
But this week Johnson’s government is falling apart around him, with a huge number of resignations flooding in and Cabinet members like Michael Gove reportedly advising that it’s time to step down.
The exodus was prompted by Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher allegations – he quit as deputy chief whip after allegedly assaulting two men while drunk at London’s Carlton Club.
The Prime Minister later acknowledged he had previously been informed of allegations against Pincher dating back to 2019 and said he regretted keeping him in government beyond that point.
As dozens of ministers and ministerial aides sent in their resignations over Tuesday and Wednesday, it looked as if the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers could change their rules to allow another vote.
Various possibilities have been floated, including reducing the safety net from 12 to six months, which could mean a vote in early December.
Others reportedly want the issue of Johnson’s future decided before the Commons break for the summer recess later this month.
One compromise suggested is that a second confidence vote could be held if 25% of Tories in the Commons – 90 MPs – submit letters to the 1922 leadership.
Reacting to the efforts to oust Johnson again so soon, Scotland’s First Minister drew comparisons with the Tories’ often-repeated line about indyref2.
“Good to see this clear recognition that when circumstances change, people have the right to change their minds,” Sturgeon told Bowie and his colleagues. “It’s called democracy. #indyref2.”
SNP MP Alison Thewliss had a similar message – dismissing the once-in-a-generation argument used by opponents of indyref2.
“Sorry Andrew, three weeks doesn’t equal a generation,” she told him. “You had your vote and you need to respect democracy.”
During Prime Minister’s Questions just hours earlier, Johnson had argued that there was no need for an independence referendum – despite the Holyrood mandate – because a vote had already been held in 2014.
“As for the referendum that [Ian Blackford] wants, well we had one of them, as I have told him before, in 2014,” he said.
Bowie has also often repeated the “once in a generation” claim to dismiss calls for another vote on Scotland’s future.
