美国国家公共电台 NPR--UK's Boris Johnson faces a no-confidence vote

UK's Boris Johnson faces a no-confidence vote

Transcript¹

Boris Johnson's time as prime minister has been a rollercoaster. He faces a no-confidence vote mainly over rule-breaking parties in government buildings during COVID-19 lockdowns.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The U.K. prime minister, Boris Johnson, faces a no-confidence vote tonight. This move by Johnson's critics could cost him his job. In the U.K. system, the prime minister's party controls the House of Commons. And if a majority of his conservative party rejects him, he must step aside. NPR's Frank Langfitt says at least some members want him out.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE²: It goes back to a lot of anger about the way Johnson and his staff behaved during the COVID lockdown. You know, as we've reported, he attended some lockdown parties - his staff - many parties, when people here weren't allowed to even go out and see dying loved ones in the hospital. Now, a report came out late last month, Steve - found a drunken culture at No. 10 Downing Street. They describe parties in which one person was vomiting³. There was red wine splashed on the walls, abuse of cleaning staff. Johnson himself ended up being fined $62 for breaking one of his own laws, effectively - first time a prime minister has been found to have broken a law in office.

And on Friday, I'll tell you - I've been covering the Queen's Jubilee⁴ celebration, you know, over the last few days. And Johnson came to St. Paul's Cathedral for this big service, where the royal family also came, and he was roundly booed by the crowd. The biggest concern, I think, inside his Conservative Party, Steve, is very political, as you'd imagine. Some see Johnson now as damaged goods and think he may not be able to lead them into the next election, which should come around 2024.

INSKEEP: OK, so this is entirely⁵ up to his party. He's effectively a creature of his party here - has to keep a majority of them on his side. What are the mechanics of the process?

LANGFITT: Well, the way we got here is there have to be 54 letters from lawmakers saying they don't have confidence, and they want a vote. And they just reached that, I guess, over the weekend. But that's only 15% of his party in the House of Commons. It's not at all a mandate⁶. And what they'll need is a hundred and eighty conservative lawmakers at least, out of 359, to vote him out effectively this evening. Now, if the rebels fail - the Tory rebels fail, under the current rules, they cannot challenge him again for another 12 months. So there - it is a bit of a high-risk proposition.

INSKEEP: Is there any sense of whether the rebels have the votes?

LANGFITT: You know, I'm not sure. They've only had 54 right now in terms of these letters. The other thing, Steve, is they don't have an alternative candidate, which means that even if they were to reach this threshold, you're looking at a one- to two-month leadership fight when the party's already pretty weak. What Johnson's team this morning is saying to everybody in the party is, you know, slow down. We don't need a civil war. That's only going to help our opposition⁷ - you know, the Labour Party - and says the country needs to focus on the war in Ukraine. Of course, the U.K. has been a leader in arming the Ukrainian army. And party says, you know, we need to focus on the rising cost of living at home.

INSKEEP: Does this damage Boris Johnson, even if he survives?

LANGFITT: Yeah, it does. It absolutely does. And a big question here, I think, among people even in his own party is - it's not a question of maybe if Johnson goes, but when he would go. And the big picture, I think, Steve - and we've reported on this for a long time - Johnson is a very entertaining cheerleader for the country at his best. He's also sort of had a reputation as a bit of a naughty school boy over the years who kind of breaks the rules in what's effectively a rule-following country. That does have some appeal. But COVID was different, I think, Steve. You know, the stakes there were life and death. Many people here really did sacrifice, including the Queen, who sat alone at her husband's funeral with a mask on. And so, you know, Johnson, all along, has been kind of this Teflon politician, but his handling of COVID may finally stick.

INSKEEP: NPR's Frank Langfitt in London, thanks for your insights.

LANGFITT: Good to talk, Steve.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

4 jubilee   

n.周年纪念；欢乐

参考例句：

• They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
• Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。