When is the next general election? How a vote of confidence affects processes and when the last election was

Boris Johnson will face a confidence vote on Monday evening, in the biggest test of his leadership yet.

The chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, confirmed on Monday morning that enough Conservative MPs had submitted letters of no confidence to force the vote.

Mr Johnson needs to win the support of more than 50 per cent of all Tory MPs to remain in position as both Tory leader and prime minister.

A vote has been brewing for months since the Partygate scandal first erupted last December and Sue Gray’s full report into lockdown-breaking parties appears to have finally tipped Tory MPs over the edge.

In a statement Sir Graham said: “The threshold of 15 per cent of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.”

The vote will take place between 6 and 8pm.

“The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised. Arrangements for the announcement will be released later today,” Sir Graham added.

Will there be a general election if Boris Johnson loses the confidence vote?

If Mr Johnson loses the confidence vote the next prime minister will not be decided by a general election.

Instead, there will be a Tory leadership contest, with the winner becoming leader of both the party and the country.

Mr Johnson would be barred from standing in the contest.

When is the next general election?

The next UK general election is scheduled for Thursday, 2 May 2024.

Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act of 2011, general elections are held on the first Thursday of May, in the fifth year after the previous election.

However, the Prime Minister has the power to call a general election early if they wish.

Two-thirds of MPs would need to back a motion for an early general election. With 650 seats in the House of Commons, 434 MPs would need to support the formal proposal.

Given the current state of the polls, it is very unlikely that Mr Johnson will choose to do this any time soon.

However, if he is ousted as Tory leader and the person who succeeds him sees a huge bump in the polls, they may decide to call an early election.

The last two parliaments did not run for a full term. Theresa May called an early election in 2017, a decision that ultimately proved to be an enormous mistake, and lost the Tories their majority.

Mr Johnson then called another early election in 2019. This was far more successful for the Conservatives, as they now hold a significant majority.

Will Boris Johnson survive the confidence vote?

It is expected the Prime Minister will secure enough votes to remain leader.

If he does secure that number, Mr Johnson will in theory be safe from a further challenge for the next 12 months. The 1922 Committee does not allow more than one vote of no confidence in a leader within a single year.

If he loses, a long list of Tory contenders would be whittled down by MPs to just two, before the 100,000-strong Conservative Party membership holds a one-member-one-vote election to pick their new leader.

Before tonight’s crunch vote, Mr Johnson’s team has sent a document to all Tory MPs, stating why they should support him.

The main points in the document state the need to focus on the Ukraine war, the cost of living crisis, and a warning that a Tory leadership contest would lead to “civil war” within the party, which would ultimately benefit the Labour Party.

The document also highlights the successes of Mr Johnson’s Government, including the rapid vaccine roll-out and the “unprecedented” support for workers and businesses throughout the pandemic.

Several MPs have already come out in support of the Prime Minister, including Health Secretary Sajid Javid and the Deputy PM, Dominic Raab.