Britain's Conservative MPs are voting on whether to keep Boris Johnson as leader - and if he loses he will be forced to stand down as prime minister.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (file) Photo: AFP
The vote of confidence began at at 5am NZT with the result due to be announced around 8am NZT.
Why is a vote happening?
Some Conservative MPs have handed in letters calling for Mr Johnson to resign.
Pressure on the prime minister has grown following the publication of details of Downing Street parties which broke Covid-19 rules.
A report, by senior civil servant Sue Gray, said many of the gatherings "should not have been allowed".
What is a no confidence vote?
An attempt by Conservative MPs to remove their leader is known as a vote of confidence.
For a vote to be held, at least 15 percent of Conservative MPs have to write a letter saying they no longer support their leader. At the moment this works out as 54 MPs (out of 359).
Their letters are sent to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of a group called the 1922 Committee, which represents them.
On Monday he said there were enough letters for a vote to take place.
How does a no confidence vote work?
To win, Mr Johnson needs more Tory MPs to vote for him to continue, rather than be replaced.
So, if every Conservative MP takes part, Mr Johnson needs 180 votes (half his MPs, plus one).
Tory MPs won't have to say how they vote, but some will choose to do so.
One Tory MP has been told to stay away from Parliament, after being accused of rape and sexual assault. However, as he has not been suspended from the Conservative Party, he can take part if another MP agrees to vote on his behalf (known as a proxy vote).
What happensWhat happens if Mr Johnson wins?
If he wins, Mr Johnson can continue as Conservative Party leader and prime minister.
Under current rules, Tory MPs would not be allowed to hold another no confidence vote for a year.
However, there has been speculation some could try to change the rules, to hold another vote sooner. When asked about it, Mr Brady said "technically, it's possible".
It is also possible that if Mr Johnson won by only a few votes, he could be persuaded to think twice about whether he had enough support to continue.
What happens if Mr Johnson loses?
If Mr Johnson loses he would have to resign.
The timetable for electing a new Conservative leader would be set by the 1922 Committee.
The winner would also become prime minister.
This means a new PM could be chosen without a general election being held. This is because UK voters get to pick their local MP and it is MPs who choose who is prime minister.
How would a leadership contest work?
In order to stand in a leadership contest, candidates need the support of eight other Tory MPs.
If more than two candidates stand, Tory MPs will hold a series of votes until only two remain.
- in the first round, candidates must get 5 percent of the votes to stay in the running (18 MPs)
- in the second round, they must get 10 percent (36 MPs)
- in the following rounds, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated
When two MPs are left, Conservative Party members around the country - not just MPs - will vote for the winner.
If all but one of the candidates withdraw (as happened when Theresa May became leader in 2016), the remaining candidate becomes Conservative Party leader.
- BBC
