Boris Johnsoncould come up against yet another no confidence vote in just six months time, according to a rebel Tory MP.
After the Prime Minister faced a vote of no confidence yesterday following the submission of letters from least 54 MPs to chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, Sir Graham Brady, a rebel Tory MP has now said this morning that the Committee is looking at changing the rules after he survived last night’s vote.
Mr Johnson won the vote by 211 to 148 to remain in his position as Prime Minister.
It was a voting split of 59% to 41% and reveals a substantial Tory rebellion against Mr Johnson, with 148 MPs voting against him, and making it what was the worst result a sitting MP has ever had in a confidence vote – despite him calling it a “decisive” victory.
The result was also a greater proportion of ‘against’ votes than Theresa May faced at her vote of no confidence in December 2018.
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Read more: Boris Johnson wins confidence vote and will remain Prime Minister
The current Conservative Party rules stipulate that once a confidence vote is carried out and a leader garners enough support to continue in their position, then they will not face another vote for a year, however Tobias Ellwood – MP for Bournemouth East, who served as a government minister at the Ministry of Defence from 2017 to 2019 – has told Sky News this morning that he understands this rule is being looked at changing.
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Mr Ellwood – who voted against the Prime Minister – said he understands the heads of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers are now looking at altering the rules so the leader could face another confidence vote within a year of surviving one.
Tory MP @Tobias_Ellwood says he would support a change to Tory party rules that would allow another confidence vote within a year – but for the moment he supports the "democratic outcome". #KayBurley: https://t.co/cLIrKK2gH1
“I understand that’s what the 1922 Committee are looking at, deliberately for this reason,” he told presenter Kay Burley.
“Because if we’re going to have that stay of execution, we are now going to recognise the democratic outcome and support the Prime Minister then let’s give the Prime Minister time to improve – but, methods can be made, the system can be adjusted to mean the current rule of allowing a Prime Minister an entire year would be changed.”
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Mr Ellwood said that while he will support the democratic outcome of yesterday’s vote for now, he would “support” a rule change being introduced.
He continued: “It’s up to Number 10 and the Prime Minister to act on his word that he’s going to change things around and show that we have a chance of winning the general election.”
Following the outcome of yesterday’s vote of no confidence, a Downing Street spokesperson has confirmed that the Prime Minister will bring his cabinet together today to call on ministers to “drive forward progress on the government’s priorities”.
He will also set out his “vision” for the future of his leadership.
This is set to include new policy commitments, such as reducing childcare costs and a “renewed drive” to get more people on the housing ladder, according to the spokesperson.
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In response to Mr Johnson winning the vote by 211 to 148 yesterday, Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer said in response on Twitter: “The choice is clearer than ever before: Divided Tories propping up Boris Johnson with no plan to tackle the issues you are facing. Or a united Labour Party with a plan to fix the cost of living crisis and restore trust in politics. Labour will get Britain back on track.”
The choice is clearer than ever before:
Divided Tories propping up Boris Johnson with no plan to tackle the issues you are facing.
Or a united Labour Party with a plan to fix the cost of living crisis and restore trust in politics.
Sir Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, also tweeted in response: “Every Conservative MP who cares about integrity and decency must do the right thing, resign the whip and sit as an independent.
“For the sake of our country, this failing Prime Minister cannot be propped up any longer.”
Every Conservative MP who cares about integrity and decency must do the right thing, resign the whip and sit as an independent.
For the sake of our country, this failing Prime Minister cannot be propped up any longer
Passengers across the North warned as new train timetables launch this month
Emily Sergeant
Passengers across the North are being told to plan head as new train timetables with ‘targeted adjustments’ are being introduced this month.
Forming part of the national timetable change – which takes place twice a year each May and December – train operator Northern is reminding customers about changes which are going live next week following recent feedback from customers on how to improve.
While most of Northern’s services set to see little to no change this month, there are some ‘targeted adjustments’ taking place.
Here in the North West and Greater Manchester, there will be some small changes on a few routes to ‘help with punctuality’, but it’s elsewhere across the region where more significant changes are set to take place.
In the North East, more customers will be able to travel between Newcastle and Whitby on Sundays without changing trains, and there will be some small tweaks to the timetables on other lines.
Passengers across the North are being warned as new train timetables launch this month / Credit: Northern
Then, over in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, trains running between Sheffield and Lincoln will now call at all stations along the route on Sundays.
“We’ve listened to feedback from our customers and have focused on improving reliability when the May timetable change takes place,” commented Toby Higgins, who is the Head of Business Performance at Northern, ahead of the timetable changes being introduced next week.
“Whilst there won’t be widespread changes to times, I’d advise customers to check before they travel as some services will leave a few minutes earlier than they do now to help with overall punctuality.”
New train timetables go live from next Sunday 17 May, and the full details of all of the changes taking place across the network can be found on Northern’s website here.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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A Withington boozer has been named ‘Pub of the Year’ in South Manchester for 2026
Danny Jones
A pub in Withington has just been named the best pub in the South Manchester area for 2026, as the area continues to back CAMRA and proper boozers.
It’s not the first time they’ve picked up this kind of gong either.
Technically, it’s picked up the award for ‘Pub of the Year for Stockport and South Manchester’, but the venue itself sits on the edge of Withy and the outskirts of Fallowfield.
Operated by legendary local business, Hydes Brewery, they claim the trophy after having just missed out on the top spot in 2025, coming second behind The Crown in Heaton Mersey.
Not this time, though, as the Hydes pub located along Wilmslow Road won this year’s prize by some distance, in fact.
The Salford-born beer makers obviously have lots of sites all over Greater Manchester, many of whom regularly pick up monthly Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) awards – not to mention collecting a fair few annual ones – The Vic in Withington is one thought to have been long overdue for the grand prize.
Beloved by regulars and other nearby residents in and around the borough alike, the local community believe this place to be much more than just another watering hole.
For example, it’s been celebrated for its diversity and grassroots work throughout the area, with the team receiving praise for their extensive charitable efforts, such as with the Mero’s World Foundation.
The organisation was established by native Manc mum, Kelly Brown, in memory of her son Rhamero West, who was tragically stabbed to death in Manchester in 2021 at the age of 16; the charity aims to combat knife crime and support youth in the community through various initiatives.
As for The Vic, they’ve helped support the cause for many years, raising vital funds through their New Year’s Eve ticket sales, raffles, and with the management team taking on multiple athletic and endurance challenges on behalf of the cause.
Put simply, husband and wife landlords, Alyson and Paul Mitchell, are absolute legends.
Commenting on the win, Alyson said in a statement: “We’re so proud to win this award, and it is a real honour to be named the best pub in the region by CAMRA. We love what we do, but we couldn’t do it without our amazing team and the incredible support and top-quality ales we receive from Hydes.
“The Victoria is a truly special place for us, and we genuinely have the best customers you could ask for, from students to our local regulars. Winning this year after coming so close previously proves that our collective hard work has really paid off.”
Aside from serving a regular lineup of five or five Hydes cask beers, showing all the games on the box, and generally becoming a bit of a cornerstone of the community, Vic customers also helped raise £1,000 for the Withington Civic Society to install a much-needed community defibrillator outside the premises.
These are the kinds of things we want to hear happening in public houses across the ten boroughs, and it’s yet another instance of South Manchester, specifically, enjoying its moment in the sud-soaked sun.
Emily Sergeant -
7th June 2022 
