Disillusionment and despair: Manchester residents speak out as Boris Johnson faces vote of no confidence

The nation woke up this morning to the news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a vote on his leadership - tonight.

The vote, which has to be triggered by at least 54 Conservative MPs submitting letters of no confidence, will take place this evening. If the PM receives 180 votes of no confidence from Tory MPs, he will be forced to resign.

Criticism of Mr Johnson has grown since the publication of the Sue Gray report, which accused the Prime Minister and others at 10 Downing Street of not following guidance during the Covid lockdowns.

READ MORE: Greater Manchester's Tory MPs voice support for Boris Johnson amid no confidence vote

But a number of prominent Conservatives and backbenchers say they are still in support of the Prime Minister.

So what do residents of Greater Manchester think about the vote of no confidence? We went into Manchester city centre to find out more.

Friends Susan Leng and Janet Beats said they thought some of the ways Mr Johnson had acted during lockdown were wrong, but said they didn’t have much faith in any other politicians either.

“I think whoever took on the task of PM had a difficult job to do,” Susan told the Manchester Evening News. “I’m a Remainer, but he had to go and exit the EU, and he took on all the troubles that have come since.

“You either love him or you hate him, don’t you. But he is charismatic, so a lot of people in the country will follow him because of that.”

She said she found it “difficult” to say what she thought of the vote of no confidence. “At the end of the day, it’s about what’s important for the country and what’s best for the outcomes.

“To be fair, I don’t think it will make much difference anymore, because they’ve all been proven to be as bad as one