Business Analyst - June 7

Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Tory MPs voting now on
prime minister's future
Ex-Scottish secretary votes
against Johnson staying as PM
DAvID Blundell, the Scottish
Conservatives MP for
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale
and Tweeddale - and a
former Scotland secretary -
has announced he voted against Boris
Johnson continuing as prime minister.
In a tweet, Blundell said his vote came
after "a difficult couple of years" and he
had voted for "a fresh start and new
leadership".
Another Scottish Tory MP has also
announced he has made "the extremely
tough decision" to vote against the prime
minister.
Andrew Bowie said it was the "only
choice for the good of the country".
Boris Johnson arrives for
confidence vote
The PM has arrived to vote with
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and
Johnson's chief of staff Steve Barclay.
Entering the voting room, he was asked
“are you going to vote for yourself?” And
“for or against”?
There was no answer from the PM,
though we can safely assume which way
he’ll be voting.
What's happening with
the vote?
There's now just under an hour to go
for Conservative MPs to take part in the
vote of confidence in Boris Johnson's
leadership. Here's what's happening:
Tory MPs are voting on whether they
want Johnson to continue as party leader
and prime minister
voting closes at 20:00 BST and the
result will be announced at 21:00 by the
chairman of the 1922 Committee of
backbench Conservatives, Sir Graham
Brady
Johnson needs to secure the backing of
180 of the 359 Conservative MPs in the
secret ballot to stay on
Ahead of the vote the PM urged MPs to
give him their support, promising future
tax cuts and vowing to lead them to
"victory again"
Aide to foreign
secretary quits role
Scottish Conservative MP John Lamont
has resigned as a ministerial aide to
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
The MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh
and Selkirk ran Jeremy Hunt's leadership
campaign in Scotland in 2019.
In a statement, Lamont said he was
voting against the prime minister in the
confidence vote.
What's the view in Sheffield?
As MPs cast their ballots in the
confidence vote - what are people in
Sheffield thinking about the leadership of
the prime minister?
How's the voting going?
MPs are standing outside the room in
Parliament where they will go in to vote on
the future of their party's leader.
Those queueing for the start of voting
at 18:00 BST included Foreign Secretary Liz
Truss, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps
and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab
reportedly skipped the queue and went
straight in to vote.
At the start of voting, 30 MPs were
waiting to cast their vote.
MPs have until 20:00 tonight to vote.
141 MPs have publicly said they will
back Boris Johnson.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister
Theresa May turned to up to vote in a
formal evening dress.
Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire has a lot
of engaged voters - the turnout in the 2019
general election was 78.5%, which was
more than 10% higher than the national
turnout. That may explain why almost
everyone I have stopped today has had a
view on the prime minister’s predicament.
However, that doesn’t mean they all
agree. This may be a solid Tory seat, but
opinion appears to be split on whether
Boris Johnson should remain.
Hilary Graham, 77, from West Bridgford,
says she has been a Conservative voter for
many years. She told me: “I think he needs
to go because he’s lied. He lied to the
government and he lied to the population
when he said there were no parties and no
rules were broken.”
On the other hand, Jitendra Bhundia,
75, from Wilford village, believes Tory MPs
should back the PM tonight. She says: “I
like him and I think he’s looking after the
country well… He has paid his fine so I
think he should remain."
Where do other Scottish
Tories stand?
Ruth Davidson was Scottish Tory leader
until she stepped down in 2019
Douglas Ross, who is the MP for Moray
as well as an MSP, is one of six Scottish Tory
MPs who are able to vote on Monday night.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has said
he fully supports Boris Johnson.
The other four Tory MPs with Scottish
constituencies have not publicly stated
how they will vote.
And as it's a secret ballot, the public
may never find out whether they gave Mr
Johnson their backing or not.
But Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish
Conservative leader, has already said Mr
Johnson's position is untenable.
Nigeria Owo church attack: Blood on the altar
Grace was being shared when the first
shot rang out. For dozens of worshippers at
the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo,
south-western Nigeria, the Lord's prayer
turned into a viaticum - the final prayer.
The armed men that burst through the
church doors around 11:30 on Sunday set
off dynamite that had congregants
scampering to escape the explosions.
As worshipers rushed for the other two
exits in the chaos, they were met by more
armed men, followed by more shots and
loud bangs.
At the end, eyewitnesses say at least 50
bodies - some of them children - were left
strewn across the church floors, while
many more were injured.
There was blood on the altar, blood on
the floor, bodies on the pews.
It is still not clear how many people
have died and or were injured. But the
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo
says the church, which is one of the
biggest parishes in Ondo state, can hold up
to 1,200 people. It was full at the time of the
attack.
Ondo State governor Rotimi Akeredolu
(3rd L) points to blood on the floor after an
attack by gunmen at St Francis Catholic
Church in Owo town, south-west Nigeria,
on 5 June.
This attack will feel personal for Ondo
State governor Rotimi Akeredolu (3rd L), as
he comes from Owo
"They killed to their satisfaction before
leaving," chorister John Nwovu told the
BBC.
He hid in the sacristy with others
while the attack - which lasted for around
30 minutes - was going on and said he was
only saved by God's grace.
An explosion blew up the ceiling above
him, burying him and several others, he
said.
They bore the weight and pain in
silence while the killers went about,
picking off worshippers hiding under the
pews.
Mr Nwovu's brother, also a chorister,
was shot in the leg and is recovering in
hospital.
"I don't think the shock of what I saw
will leave me for the rest of my life," he
said.
Dynamite residue still litters the
church, while the vestry - where many hid
- bears testimony to the chaos.
Shoes, bible pages soaked in blood,
purses and other personal belongings are
still scattered about.