Parliament bus stop astonishingly reflects Boris Johnson confidence vote
A bus stop in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament spookily reflected the result of Boris Johnson's confidence vote.
Both the 211 and 148 pick up passengers in Parliament Square, identical to the numbers who backed the Prime Minister and tried to oust him.
But passengers on both bus services still had plenty to say about the win, which critics said undermined his authority.
"The booing he got when he turned up at the Queen's jubilee was pretty indicative of the way people feel about him right now. I think in terms of the Conservative Party doing well in the next election he's more damaging than he is a positive influence," said one passenger.
Others said Boris faced a "rough ride" in the days and weeks ahead but said the party was short of strong candidates to replace the Prime Minister.
"I gave birth to my second baby during the pandemic and the day he was born, 29 December, hundreds of people were dying in the UK. I had a caesarean section and I left hospital quite quickly - we were really scared - and the way he acted was not sincere at all so I think he should go," another passenger added.
The confidence vote - which he won with just 59% of the vote - was triggered by dozens of Tory backbenchers furious about his handling of the partygate scandal which eventually saw him fined by police. The PM claimed his win was "decisive" when speaking to broadcasters after scraping to victory on Monday night, but critics were quick to point out he won with a smaller majority than Theresa May in 2018.
And another Westminster bus passenger said Mr Johnson an "absolute disgrace" and a "joke".
"I think 148 votes is really quite significant I don't believe he can survive I believe John Major and Theresa May they had confidence votes against them and they went as well - so I think it's time for him to go," another man explained.
Most passengers felt Boris Johnson had let the country down but were divided about whether he should quit or just get on with the job.
"I think he should stay, definitely because apart from his parties during lockdown he has done a pretty good job other than that," another woman said.
"No one is perfect and everyone tells lies so I think they should just leave him alone," a passenger added.
After Monday night's vote the Prime Minister told reporters in Downing Street: "I think it’s an extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result which enables us to move on, to unite and to focus on delivery and that is exactly what we are going to do." He rejected the assertion that he was now a lame duck prime minister who needed to call a snap election to secure a new mandate from the public, insisting he was focused on the public’s priorities.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out...