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Boris Johnson Survives Confidence Vote, Vows To "Move On"; Russia Hammers Eastern Ukraine In Push To Take Donbas; Kyiv's Overflowing Morgue Works To Identify Fallen Soldiers; Gunmen Killed Close To 50 People In The City Of Owo, Nigeria; At Least 13 Mass Shootings Kill 17, Wound 72 Over Weekend. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 07, 2022 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[00:00:26]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm John Vause, great to have you with us.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. When a win is not enough, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a leadership vote. But is this the beginning of the end for his hold on power?

The high cost of Russian games in eastern Ukraine and blood on the altar, dead bodies in cubes, the gruesome aftermath at a Nigerian church attacked by gunmen riding motorcycles, leaving close to 50 people dead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: How long Boris Johnson is still party leader? He is still Prime Minister, but for how long? He narrowly won a confidence vote on Monday and is now the leader of a party where almost half of its elected members want him gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRAHAM BRADY, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: That the vote in favor of having confidence in Boris Johnson as leader was 211 votes, and the vote against was 148 votes.

And therefore, I can announce that the parliamentary party does have confidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The prime minister has been plagued by scandals in the three years since he led the conservatives to a landslide victory. Mostly it's been party gate, we saw the British leader and his staff drinking and socializing while millions of people in the U.K. were under COVID lockdowns.

Analysts say the confidence vote will tarnish Johnson's reputation, could threaten his legislative agenda. Conservatives are also facing difficult by elections later this month. But the prime minister praised the outcome of this confidence vote. He thanked his colleagues for their support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: A very good result for politics and for the country. It just -- I do, just in this sense, I think it's a convincing result, decisive result and what it means is that as a -- as a government, we can move on and focus on the stuff I think really matters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Live now to Number 10, CNN's Nina dos Santos has early morning shift for us. Thank you for getting up and being with us, Nina. How badly wounded politically is the prime minister? Can he win back the support which he's lost among the party?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the big question this morning as Downing Street is waking up and figuring out what to do about this because 41 percent of the government's own elected members of the Conservative Party have made it clear that they no longer have confidence in the current prime minister, that's a problem if you've got an election to call within the next year and a half.

Boris Johnson, as you heard, they're very much saying that this is a time to draw a line in the sand over this issue of questions of his leadership and to get on with the legislative agenda.

But as you pointed out in your introduction there, John, it's going to be difficult to deliver that legislative agenda, one that was just put forth with the opening of Parliament two weeks ago with 38 bills if you lack the support of 148 members of your conservative party.

So, the bigger question here is will the cabinet turn against him? And also, will other members of his party no longer support some of these legislative initiatives that his government is going to try and bring forth over the next year?

Now, to give you some perspective here, to answer your question, this is the worst performance in a no confidence vote by a sitting British Conservative prime minister all the way back since the 1980s and 1990s.

Even Theresa May did better back in early 2019 when she faced a vote of no confidence over her handling of Brexit. And she had to resign several months later, John Major, Margaret Thatcher also did slightly better than Boris Johnson did last night, John.

VAUSE: And they all went on to lose later on. The question, though, is what can actually be done by Johnson to try and restore some order here? To try just at least in the short term to restore some of the -- you know, the authority he has as prime minister.

DOS SANTOS: Yes, well for any of those MPs who are expecting a little bit of a conciliatory tone from the Prime Minister, they weren't getting it yesterday evening ahead of this no confidence vote. What is custom is that the 1922 backbench committee meets and hears from the prime minister.

And interestingly enough, he was asked, you know, would you go to one of these leaving parties -- locked down busting leaving parties again if a member of your staff was leaving under, you know, the kind of tumultuous times that we saw a couple of years ago during the pandemic?

And he said, yes, I would. So, those people who are against him, appear to continue to be against him. So, what he's probably likely to do is try and reshuffle some of the junior members of the Cabinet a little bit to restore discipline.

[00:05:00]

DOS SANTOS: As I said there before, the question is, that might buy him a few more months, but will it buy him enough time to get through to the next election which the conservatives have to call before 2024?

And the other thing that some of those who against Boris Johnson outside his own party appointing are is they don't know when the next scandal is coming from. They don't know when the next by election loss is coming from. We've got two of those coming up in the next month or so.

So, these are going to be critical times, more obstacles for Johnson to continue to navigate.

And in the meantime, he's also got to address the cost of living crisis, which is spiraling fast here in the U.K. He's promised and hinted perhaps at some tax cuts that could be on the way, promised that we'll get some more updates from the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, on how to try and tackle these immediate problems. But will it be enough to win back the party faithful? It's looking difficult, John.

VAUSE: Nina, thank you for being with us. We appreciate that. Nina dos Santos live for us this hour in London.

CNN's European Affairs commentator Dominic Thomas is with us from Berlin. Dominic, thank you for taking the time.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Great to be with you, John.

VAUSE: OK, so understandably, Boris Johnson is now hoping this less than decisive win, there'll be enough to win back party support and move on. Let's just all forget it, put it behind us. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: I'm grateful to colleagues. I'm grateful for the support they've given me. And of course, I understand that what we need to do now is come together as a -- as a government, as a party. And that is exactly what we can now do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: It seems that history is prologue, there's two chances of that happening. And that's Buckley's and none.

THOMAS: John, I couldn't agree with you more. I mean, as Nina dos Santos just pointed out, I know this is the worst performance in 30 years by a sitting Conservative Party prime minister and I think it's really important to remember that this is a conservative party tool, the Labor Party don't do this.

This is an opportunity for the party to weigh in. And to gauge at this moment in Boris Johnson's Prime Ministership, where his support stands. And with 40 percent of the Conservative Party MPs stating that they essentially do no longer have confidence in him, it makes it absolutely impossible for him to legislate as he -- as he moves forward.

And so, it's really at this stage, he's squandered this incredible lead that the Conservative Party had. His sense of entitlement has gotten in the way. And really, John, as you've -- as you pointed out, it's not really a question of will he resign or will he be forced out but when this will happen?

VAUSE: Well, the former Foreign Secretary William Hague, who served as leader of the Tories in parliament for three years, he urged Johnson to resign for the good of the party and for the good of the country. He wrote an op-ed for the Times and he makes this point about those who voted against Johnson and why this is anything but a win.

This is what he wrote: There are not a faction that has been seen off or an alternative policy direction that has been defeated. They represent instead a widespread feeling of collapse of faith that almost certainly cannot be repaired or reversed. For Johnson, continuing to lead the party after such a revolt will prove to be unsustainable.

Here's the Caesar was stabbed 23 times, Johnson 148. What happens to the business of government now that, you know -- and now between now what the next leadership challenge?

THOMAS: Yes, well, I mean, this becomes extraordinarily complicated. We saw Conservative Party MPs, rather than going into what is essentially a secret ballot, making public statements about the fact that they would not be supporting the Prime Minister because they were so eager to register their discontent so that their constituents could hear this.

Now, in just two weeks' time on the 23rd of June, there are two seats that are off, John. And I think that the outcome of that will be absolutely un-determining because if the Conservative Party does not win those seats, it will be further indication of the kind of public discontent with the party and with the -- and with the leader. And this further erosion, I think, will be the catalyst to another vote and to driving him out of office, John.

VAUSE: Well, the leader of the Labor opposition, this was a chance to put the boot in, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, LABOR PARTY LEADER: The British public are fed up, fed up with a prime minister who promises big but never delivers. Fed up with a prime minister who has presided over a culture of lies and law breaking at the heart of government. Fed up with a prime minister, who is utterly unfit for the great office that he holds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: All that may well be true, but does it translate into increased support for labor?

THOMAS: Well, I mean, Labor's got its own issues when it comes to unity. But clearly, the longer this goes on, the more the Labor Party has the opportunity to not so much galvanize the public around its policies that around the toxic radioactive issue of Boris Johnson as prime minister.

Let's not forget that the real issue with him now what is what has sort of exacerbated this situation is the fact that he set the rules and regulations during COVID and then ignored them and then lied about them at a time when so many people made these sacrifices.

[00:10:06]

THEODORE: So, the big question now moving forward is the Conservative Party obviously controls the majority. They control their faith. They have an opportunity for a leadership challenge. And the question is whether they will be able to come together and select a new leader ahead of this general election that will take place sometime in 2024? And if they don't, then the Labor Party here has a real opportunity to build on this momentum. And to go into a general election feeling very confident about the outcome, John

VAUSE: Dominic, thank you. We'll see you again next hour from Berlin. Appreciate you being with us.

THOMAS: Thank you.

VAUSE: Grinding battle in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces appear to be stepping up attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Heavy smoke was seen rising from the city of Donetsk Monday.

The area is controlled by Russian backed separatists who say Ukrainian missile hit the city. But Ukraine says it's Russian strikes harrowing most of the towns and villages across the east.

This is the town of Druzhkivka, where officials say one person was killed on an attack Sunday. The town is west of Severodonetsk, a city that remains a major target for Russia's offensive in the east. Fierce fighting has raged there for weeks as Russian and Ukrainian troops battle street to street to gain the upper hand.

Fresh off a visit to the frontlines, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian troops are not giving up the fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Our heroes do not give up positions in Severodonetsk and the city fear street fighting continues. But it is the 103rd day of the war and the Ukrainian Donbas stands. It stands strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: To Canberra, Australia now, Malcolm Davis is a senior analyst of the defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. It's been a while, so welcome back, good to see you.

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST OF THE DEFENSE STRATEGY AND CAPABILITY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Good to see you too.

VAUSE: So, in recent days, British Military Intelligence and Russian forces in the east have generated and maintained momentum, adding Russia controls over 90 percent of Luhansk and is likely to complete control in the next two weeks. Russia has achieved these recent tactical successes at significant resource cost.

And according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense as of Monday, Russian losses so far amounts more than 31,000 troops, more than 200 fighter jets, 176 helicopters, more than 1,300 tanks, that list just goes on and on and on.

So, right now, whatever gain the Russians have made? It's been the result of artillery equivalent of carpet bombing and heavy losses. How much longer can the Russian military sustain this sort of offensive?

DAVIS: Look, I think the Russians can sustain this offensive for quite a while. Yes, they're taking very heavy losses, but from the Russian way of war fighting, that's par for the course in the sense of the Russians assume heavy losses in any battle.

So, it's kind of different from how Western forces fight where we try to avoid losses. In the Russian perspective, you just throw forces in and if you take losses, you take losses, the key is to achieve the objective.

VAUSE: In looking at this battle for Severodonetsk, it doesn't seem that there's any real tactical advantage for the Russians if they take control of the city. The Ukrtainians don't lose much either if they don't control it.

Is this more about sort of projecting power? Demoralizing the Ukrainians in the West?

DAVIS: I think it is, and I think the Severodonetsk ultimately does open up a way for them to advance towards Kramatorsk. And that would be a real victory for the Russians. Probably the most important step the Russians would take would be if they could complete the encirclement of Ukrainian forces around Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk in what is known as a salient. If they can cut off that salient, and trap those forces, they can wear them down and impose a very significant defeat on Ukraine, and that could potentially demoralize the Ukrainians, force them to push back a bit. And essentially, we could then see Russia trying to build on that momentum to try and expand further westwards.

VAUSE: As this war goes on, there's also a pretty high price being paid by Ukrainians. Here's the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: There have been multiple reports from survivors of Russia's soldiers, breaking down doors to basements where women were sheltering and raping them. These terrible acts were done in front of their children, and they were filmed by the Russian soldiers. These are bone chilling accounts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: There seems no attempt by Russian soldiers to hide their crimes, in fact, quite the opposite. That seems to suggest they have no fear of being held accountable at least by the Russian military commanders, and making videos and taking photographs. Is that being done deliberately to so that can be seen by Ukrainians to terrorize women and young girls?

DAVIS: No, as I said earlier, I think the Russians fight war in a very different way to the how the U.S. or Australia or Australia or the United Kingdom fight wars.

We are very focused on what's known as laws of armed conflict, international humanitarian law, avoiding civilian casualties and certainly not committing atrocities, whereas the Russians simply don't care.

So, you do see these sorts of behavior by Russian troops on the battlefield. They don't care because they figured they're never going to be held to account. And it's war.

So, therefore, all the rules are away. They can do what they like. We have a very different approach to warfare to what they do.

VAUSE: Russia is also holding Ukrainian hostage, leaving many around the world facing food shortages. Here's the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Right now, a Russian naval blockade in the Black Sea is preventing Ukraine's crops from being shipped to their normal destinations. There somewhere around 20 million tons of wheat that's trapped in silos near Odessa. And in ships literally filled with grain that are stuck in the Odessa port.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Is there a legitimate reason for preventing the export of grain? Is this just all about raising the cost for the west for in support of Ukraine?

DAVIS: I think it is, I think what the Russians are doing is using food as a weapon to try and put pressure on -- in particular Western European states to force Ukraine into some sort of settlement with Russia on Russia's terms.

And we've had the likes of Emmanuel Macron, saying that we shouldn't give -- we shouldn't humiliate Russia, we should give them an off ramp.

But Russians are playing on this and they're using the threat of famine and food insecurity to try and pressure the west into forcing Ukraine's hand.

You know, the potential for this to be turning into some sort of global food crisis is very real, and the West certainly does need to do something to break open those ports and restore the flow of grain to markets in Africa and elsewhere.

VAUSE: Malcolm, we appreciate you being with us. Malcolm there in Canberra. Thank you.

DAVIS: Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, for the Ukrainians and soldiers who have stepped up to defend their country, many who have been killed in action have died identified.

CNN's Ben Wedeman was given exclusive access to the central morgue in Kyiv where crews are working to identify the fallen and give their families closure.

This report contains images some viewers may find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): And so it begins on a sunny summer morning, the grimmest of tasks. Workers at Kyiv's central morgue examined the contents of 160 dirty putrid body bags, containing the badly decomposed remains of soldiers killed during the two months siege at the port city of Mariupol. And at the city's sprawling Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian forces made their last stand.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted an exchange of bodies as part of the agreement that ended the siege. Forensic Examiner Lilia Phillipchoo (PH) has been on the job for three years. Since the war began, she's had little rest.

We also examined the bodies from Bucha and Irpin, she says, referring to Kyiv suburbs where retreating Russian forces are accused of committing atrocities against civilians. Elena Tolkachova (PH) is also helping. She's affiliated with the Azov

brigade, which fought in Mariupol. The brigade is a nationalist militia that was integrated into Ukraine's armed forces.

The morgue is already full of bodies from Kyiv, from Bucha, from Irpin, she says. So, we have to put them in a refrigerator truck.

Morgue workers searched through ripped and ragged clothing for documents and tagged and bagged personal items. This is just the start of a long process.

Some of these bodies have no identification so their DNA will have to be sampled. And it may take a month maybe more to find out who they were. And only then will their loved ones know their fate. Finality for the living and the dead will have to wait.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Nigerians are in mourning after gunman murdered dozens of people at a Catholic church. What we're learning about Sunday's attack and why officials have been criticized for not doing more, back in a moment.

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[00:22:08]

VAUSE: Welcome back. It's still not clear who is behind Sunday's brutal attack on a Nigerian Catholic Church. But details from survivors are harrowing. Local lawmakers this close to 50 people are confirmed dead, that includes children of the gunman riding motorcycles stormed the church and open fire.

Stephanie Busari has more now reporting from Lagos and a warning, her report contains graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN DIGITAL SUPERVISING EDITOR, AFRICA (on camera): Nearly 50 people have died after attacker stormed a Catholic church in the city of Owo Ondo State Southwest Nigeria as mass was coming to an end and began sporadically shooting, authorities say.

Eye witnesses say a large group of armed men on motorcycles stormed the St. Francis Catholic Church and threw explosives into the building to cause confusion. Then open fire on the congregation.

A woman whose parents died and the attack has paid tribute to them saying they never missed mass. (INAUDIBLE) her parents were always together and even in death were inseparable.

Nigerians are reeling from this latest killing in the country. Violence has escalated in parts of the country in recent times, and President Buhari has condemned the killings. But his words ring hollow to many Nigerians who say they simply do not feel safe doing everyday things anymore in the country.

Buhari a former general was supposed to be tough on crime and insecurity. But some say it has worsened under his administration, and kidnappings and killings are now a daily occurrence in a country with ever more brazen and audacious attacks.

Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: After another weekend, the bloodshed, the U.S. is now on track for the worst year of mass shootings ever. According to a CNN tally, at least 17 people have been killed, more than 70 wounded in at least 13 mass shootings since Friday.

The Gun Violence Archive says more than 1,300 people have been shot this year as of Sunday, 270 were killed off that tally.

CNN's Brian Todd has the latest now on this American epidemic reporting in from Philadelphia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A physical altercation escalated into a shootout Saturday according to police with bullets flying into the crowd in an entertainment district when police responded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They observed several civilians suffering from gunshot wounds lying on the sidewalk and in the street.

TODD: Police believe there were at least three gunmen and at least four guns were used. 14 shot, three killed, one a suspected gunman in rural South Carolina at a graduation lawn party with 150 guests. Police say at least 60 or 70 shots were fired from two cars. Eight people were shot, one of them killed.

MINDY KIND, DAUGHTER KILLED AT THE GRADUATION PARTY: I looked at my daughter on the ground. She was out. She had already stopped breathing.

[00:25:01]

TODD: In Chattanooga, Tennessee at a nightclub shooting, three people were killed and at least 14 injured. Two from gunshots, one struck by a fleeing vehicle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a long summer and we had got to get out in front of it and put a stop to it.

TODD: Additional shootings across the country this weekend. From a Michigan suburb to a graduation party in Virginia, to a party at a strip mall in Phoenix.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A group of people that just started running like every different direction. And I myself was like hiding behind cars because the shots kept getting closer and closer.

TODD: Philadelphia's top prosecutor focusing on guns.

LARRY KRASNER, PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We have 120 guns for every 100 Americans and that includes children. And so, we find ourselves in situations where people who are simply having a fistfight can turn a street in a busy entertainment section of town into mayhem. It's disastrous.

TODD: New York's governor signed bills including a ban on body armor sales and raising the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): When did we become a nation that reveres the right to have the ability to possess a gun over the right of a child to stay alive? When did that happen?

TODD: But in Washington, far less agreement on what to do, the mood in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to feel like I can't get home from work safe.

TODD: Officials in Philadelphia tell us that businesses along this street have stepped up and given police reams of surveillance footage, so police are still combing through that for more information regarding Saturday shooting.

For an idea of just how chaotic that was, the D.A.'s office tells us that the two men whose confrontation started the entire thing on Saturday night fired a total of 17 shots at each other.

Brian Todd, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, Congress is unlikely to raise the age to buying a semi- automatic weapon at least that seems to be what two key Republican senators involved in gun reform have been indicating.

Instead, Republican negotiators say they're looking at changing the criminal background check system to include reviewing juvenile records. This could lead to a waiting period of sorts, perhaps two or three weeks for those aged 18 through 20, trying to buy a semi- automatic gun.

However, the Senate Democrat Joe Manchin, who's part of the bipartisan talks, says a higher age limit could have saved lives in Uvalde.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): Two things that could have prevented this, an age requirement would have prevented an 18-year-old and basically, a Red Flag Law that's basically intended to try to help a person get some mental health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: U.S. lawmakers are looking at providing incentives to states enacting Red Flag laws among other measures.

Although they are talking the two sides still have a number of major disagreements to resolve before there's any chance of passing gun reform.

Mexico's president has announced he will not attend the upcoming Summit of the Americas because Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua were not invited. His decision is a significant step to the host the United States and threatens to undermine the conference.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says all countries in the Americas should be included. The White House says those three authoritarian regimes were not because of their lack of democratic space and human rights violations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: At the end of the day, to your question, we just don't believe dictators should be invited. And that's -- and so, we don't regret that and we will stand -- the president will stand by his principle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The meeting gathers next week or later this week, I should say, the White House says it could still be successful without regional powerhouse Mexico. The Mexican president says he will visit Washington next month.

When we come back, by the skin of his teeth, Britain's embattled prime minister manages to keep his job but for how long? We'll get reaction from Boris Johnson, his critics and a fellow conservative predicting his political demise.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

[00:31:19]

It was barely a win, but the British prime minister says the outcome of a confidence vote is a convincing result. The Scottish first minister, though, already calling Boris Johnson an utterly lame duck. And the opposition leader blasting the divided Conservatives for, quote, "propping him up."

The rebellion of members of the prime minister's own Conservative Party was much higher than many expected, with less than 60 percent standing by him.

CNN's Max Foster picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the moment of Boris Johnson's future as the U.K.'s prime minister hung in the balance. But the scale tipped his way.

GRAHAM BRADY, 1922 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: The vote in favor of having confidence in Boris Johnson's 211 votes. The vote against was 148 votes.

FOSTER (voice-over): Boris Johnson survived the votes, but just barely. A hundred and forty-eight MPs wanted him out, dangerously close to a majority.

A damning result, even worse than his predecessor, Theresa May, got in 2018. She also survived the confidence vote, but ruling Britain written the support of her party proved mission impossible. She ended up resigning just a few months later.

Nevertheless, Boris Johnson said the result was a sign to move on, and he shunned away from the idea of a snap election.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: A very good result for politics and for -- for the country. Just -- just --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A good result.

JOHNSON: I do. Just in this -- I do think it's a convincing result, a decisive result and what it means is that, as a government, we can move on and focus on the stuff that really matters.

FOSTER (voice-over): Opposition leader, Keir Starmer, though, offering a harsher read into the vote.

KEIR STARMER, LABOUR PARTY LEADER: The British public are fed up, fed up with the prime minister, who promises big but never delivers. Conservative MPs made their choice tonight. They have ignored the British public.

FOSTER (voice-over): Polls showing a majority of Brits agreed that Boris Johnson should resign over the so-called Party-gate, Downing Street gatherings at the height of the pandemic and lockdowns.

If Theresa May's fate is anything to go by, Boris might not see his term to its end.

With his future as prime minister uncertain, the question of who might take his place is already in the air. Two of the three names circling as possible replacements are from Johnson's own cabinets: Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

The third option could be Jeremy Hunt, former foreign secretary who voted against Boris in the confidence vote.

The prime minister may have survived another day, but not unscathed. The question now, how badly wounded is he? How will this disguised defeat shake his own party, and just how long will he last?

Max Foster, CNN, Downing Street, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: CNN's Richard Quest put that same question to House of Lords Conservative, Robert Hayward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE).

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Explain to me. Is, in your view, it now just a matter of time? A hundred and forty-eight MPs want him gone. Forty-one percent of his own MPs want the prime minister gone. Is it now just a matter of time?

ROBERT HAYWARD, MEMBER OF HOUSE OF LORDS: I think history would say yes, it is. No Conservative leader has survived a vote of confidence and gone on to win the next election. In most cases, what they've actually finished up doing is using the leadership before they reach the next election.

[00:35:02]

And you made reference just now, I think, to Theresa May, the last prime minister. When she had a vote of confidence, she had a much higher proportion of people supporting her. And she'd gone within six months. Loss of power is attritional in politics, and many people within the party and outside the party have said this is the first stage in Boris Johnson's defeat. And certainly, 148 is much more than virtually anyone was predicting.

QUEST: I'm just looking at numbers here. Theresa May survived with 63 percent; 37 said they had no confidence. I mean, it's a bit of a shambles, isn't it, when nearly half -- let's face it, it's nearly half your MPs don't want you.

But Jacob Rees-Mogg says he only has to win by one to carry on. That's almost as offensive as the part is in Downing Street.

HAYWARD: I was taking a bed with a friend who is also, like myself, sad analyst of these events. And at lunchtime. And we agreed that we would hear that message at some stage. That one is enough.

It's a Churchillian phrase. It was said in a very different context. And when you have to resort to that sort of observation, it's an indication you're in a pretty weak state.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The prime minister is now immune for a year from another confidence vote. But Hayward predicts likely Conservative losses at the polls will keep eroding the prime minister's authority.

Still to come here on CNN, the terrifying sight of China's COVID enforcers. The hazmat suited stormtroopers, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: The year-end (ph) costs for extreme weather-related disasters has increased by more than 100 percent in the past two decades. According to a report from the charitable group Oxfam, the average annual cost of weather-related humanitarian funding appeals in 2002 was about $1.6 billion.

By 2019 through 2021, it topped out at more than $15 billion.

Research also says wealthy countries that caused the most harm to the climate are only paying half of what's needed.

The big whites, China's COVID enforcers, are portrayed by state media as just helpful civil servants. But as CNN's Selina Wang reports, some of them are behaving in ways that spark fear, terror, and outrage.

And a warning: some of the video you're about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a common sight in China, armies of COVID workers in full body white protective gear.

Shanghai maybe exiting its harsh lockdown, but China's COVID war is not over.

Since lockdowns began in cities across China, hazmat suit workers have become symbols to many of brutality and authoritarian excess.

[00:40:08]

In this Shanghai community, a COVID worker repeatedly beats a man with a stick. This COVID worker forcefully shoves a woman to the ground. She hits the pavement, then clutches her head in pain.

In another video, a COVID worker kicks and slaps a man to the ground.

And a brigade of COVID officials dragged this woman out of her apartment in Shanghai. She screams that she'll go with them if she can just get her shoes. She tries to resist with all her strength, but in vain.

CNN was not able to verify the identities of the people involved or the circumstances in these videos, or even if they all related to COVID control, and authorities did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Most of the big whites are health care workers, volunteers, and police officers, genuinely trying to help their communities. While extreme violence from these COVID enforcers this rare, these viral videos have sparked outrage, underscoring people's growing frustrations with China's zero-COVID policy.

This video in particular, horrifying Shanghai residents earlier when they were locked down. It shows nine police officers in hazmat suits, surrounding a man in a Shanghai community with some relentlessly beating and kicking him.

He tries to run away, but they catch him and continue to throw their punches.

CNN geolocated where this beating happened. I called the local police station.

WANG: She seems to have seen the video. She knows that the video exists. She says she's going to call over her colleague who's going to give me a call back.

WANG (voice-over): But I never got the call back, so I tried again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WANG: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

He told me that this never happened, and then he just hung up.

WANG (voice-over): This isn't the image of COVID control that China wants. This is more desirable. Government propaganda has called COVID enforcers big whites, a nod to the cute and inflatable robot from "Big Hero 6."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion.

WANG: Like Baymax, the big whites in state media videos are lifting people's spirits. They're leading dances in quarantine centers, helping the elderly, even climbing ladders to deliver COVID tests.

But the innocent image of the big whites sullied by the horrific behavior of some, possibly empowered by the anonymity of their white suits.

Numerous videos show them beating residents, barricading them in their homes, breaking doors to take people to quarantine, climbing into houses through windows to disinfect, even beating pets to death.

Chinese social media have even started calling the COVID enforcers white guards, referring to the red guards of the cultural revolution, who savagely beat, tortured, and killed.

But most of these videos of brutality from the big whites are gone, censored from Chinese social media. In their place are fluffy heroes, but the big whites' cruelty already seared into so many minds, shaking people's faith in the Chinese government.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

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