Boris Johnson will ignore the Queen’s Speech vote if he loses, Number 10 has confirmed.
In an unprecedented move the Prime Minister would effectively ignore the Commons vote if it didn’t go his way, a spokesman indicated today.
No Prime Minister has ever pressed ahead with trying to make laws after losing a vote on their Queen’s Speech.
The last time a PM lost was in 1924, when Stanley Baldwin went ahead with a King’s Speech despite having lost his majority.
Mr Baldwin resigned immediately.
It comes just weeks after Dominic Cummings, one of Mr Johnson’s most senior advisors, declared: “The Prime Minister believes that politicians don’t get to choose which votes they respect.”
Video Unavailable
Asked if he would stand down if the speech is defeated in Parliament, a Number 10 spokesman flatly replied: “No.”
He later added: “If MPs do choose to vote against the Queen’s Speech, it will be (for) them to explain to the public why they are voting against greater support for our public services, including police, schools and hospitals.”
“Why they are blocking legislation which will lead to serious and dangerous offenders spending more time in prison, why they are stopping laws which will lead to longer jail sentences for foreign national offenders and why they are standing in the way of significant infrastructure improvements that will level up across this country.”
He also said such a defeat would not be a matter of confidence, saying: “No, the terms of a vote of confidence are set down by the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.”
And asked whether the PM could continue to progress the Bills through Parliament even if the speech is defeated, his spokesman said: “Yes, you can.”
While it is traditionally a matter that would force a Prime Minister to resign, losing a Queen’s Speech vote is not technically a vote of ‘confidence’ in the government.
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, it does not automatically trigger an election.
