The government has tabled a no confidence motion in itself after blocking Labour’s bid to remove Boris Johnson from office immediately.

It means MPs will vote on whether they still have confidence in the prime minister’s administration, despite him stepping down from office in a few weeks.

Labour’s request was for a confidence motion in the government and the prime minister and could have triggered a snap general election.

But the government accused the opposition of “playing politics”, claiming it was not “a valuable use of parliamentary time” because the PM has already resigned.

It is is thought Tory MPs will be more likely to vote in favour of the government if the motion does not have Boris Johnson’s name on it.

The move today means the government is able to control the wording of the motion.

A government spokesperson said today: “Labour were given the option to table a straightforward vote of no confidence in the government in keeping with contention, however they chose not to.

“To remedy this we are tabling a motion which gives the House the opportunity to decide if it has confidence in the government.

“The government will always allow time for appropriate House matters while ensuring that it delivers parliamentary business to help improve people’s everyday lives.”