By Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters] – The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now faces a threat to a confidence motion as more British legislators suggest they have lost faith in him government after the “partygate” scandal. An ex-party leader also suggested that he may be challenged by the lawmakers next week.

John Stevenson is a Conservative MP and said he had been deeply disappointed by the rule-breaking party during COVID-19’s national lockdowns. Stevenson called for the prime Minister to cast a confidence vote in order to resolve the matter.

Stevenson stated that “sadly, the prime minister seems unwilling to bring things to a head.” Therefore, it is up to the Conservative MPs and the government to support a confidence vote. “I have taken appropriate actions.”

Last week’s damning report revealed a number of illegal parties in Johnson’s Downing Street offices during COVID-19 lockdowns. This led to a renewed call for the Conservative prime Minister to resign.

Johnson has been criticized by at least six Conservative legislators, but they have not called for his resignation.

Johnson would be removed from office if he loses a confidence vote.

William Hague who led the Conservative Party 1997-2001 said Johnson will likely face a vote for confidence before the end of June, and one could be faced as soon as next week, when parliamentarians return from recess.

Hague claimed that the investigation by senior civil servants into the illegal parties was like a “slow fuse explosion”, and Johnson is being criticized more openly by Conservative lawmakers.

Times Radio said Johnson was in “real trouble”. According to Times Radio, the party “moves towards having a vote, whether next week or towards June.”

Andrea Leadsom, an ex-Minister in the Cabinet and prominent Brexiteer, has accused Johnson of “unacceptable failures of leadership”. She said that it was unlikely senior leaders knew what was happening.

Leadsom was a former business minister and twice ran for leader of the Conservative Party. He did not ask Johnson to resign, but suggested that each legislator would decide the best way to restore trust in government.

To trigger one, at most 54 Conservative lawmakers must request a formal confidence vote from the chairman of their party’s 1922 Committee. Because the letters are confidential and only the chairman knows the number of submitted, he cannot reveal the exact amount. [L8N2XN32W]

Sky News asked George Freeman, Science Minister, if the prime minister would get a vote in no confidence. He replied: “I don’t know.”

He said, “I don’t know where my backbench colleagues”