This is not a drill: Boris Johnson is finally facing a vote of no confidence today

After months of speculation and a slow revolution of unimpressed Tory MPs, Boris Johnson is finally facing a vote of no confidence.

Today, giving MPs and the public a rather abrupt return to reality after the platty joobs, Sir Graham Brady, backbench MP boss, said the number of MPs who have submitted letters of no confidence in their leader had been "exceeded" so it's time for Johnson to face the music.

As a way of some quick context, 15 per cent of the parliamentary party needs to be done with the PM for the vote to happen. In this parliament that makes the number 54. And if in the subsequent vote over half of Tory MPs decide they want a new leader then Johnson will have to pack his bags.

And this crescendo of over 54 MPs declaring their rejection of Johnson comes as Partygate has dominated the news cycle for months, with Johnson and the Tories plummeting in the polls as a result.

The secret ballot will take place this evening, between 6 pm and 8 pm. If Johnson loses, Jeremy Hunt, Tom Tugendhat, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are among the names touted to be the next party leader.

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But if he - as is expected - wins, then he will be safe from further challenges for a year.

The news created a stir on Twitter:

We just hope the news about the future of our country doesn't clash with the new series of Love Island.

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