Boris Johnson Out of Race to be Next UK Prime Minister – His withdrawal makes former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak the heavy favorite to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. He might win the competition as early as Monday (local time). Johnson, who was removed from office in July due to ethics scandals, is generally likely to seek to replace Liz Truss, who resigned last week after her tax-cutting economic program shook financial markets and destroyed her authority within the governing party.
After returning from a Caribbean vacation, Johnson spent the weekend attempting to earn the support of his colleagues. As of late Sunday (local time), he had gathered more than 100 signatures, the minimum required to run. However, he lacked Sunak’s support. Johnson stated that he had reached the conclusion that “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament.” Sunak got the backing of well over one hundred Tory legislators in order to surpass his two primary opponents, Johnson and former Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt.
Within a week, the Conservative Party hopes to finalize nominations and install its third new prime minister of the year. Sunak, 42, was the runner-up to Truss in the Tory leadership campaign this summer to succeed Johnson, who was ousted by a series of ethics scandals. Sunday (local time), he announced his candidacy in the most recent leadership election.
“There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done,” Sunak said in a statement. Johnson’s exit came after allies insisted he would run. Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg told the BBC that he spoke with Johnson and “clearly he’s going to stand” after flying back to London from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.
A potential return to power for 58-year-old Johnson, who just officially resigned at the beginning of September, has divided the Conservatives and alarmed many others. Many skeptics warned that another Johnson administration would be disastrous for the party and the country, despite the fact that Johnson’s supporters claim he is a vote-getter and has sufficient backing from parliamentarians. Dozens of Britain’s 357 Conservative lawmakers have not yet openly indicated their support for Truss’ replacement.
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