Johnson used to enjoy great popularity until he lost credibility in his final months as prime minister.
Gleb Galanich | Reuters
LONDON — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not participating in a contest to replace outgoing leader Liz Truss.
Despite being ousted just three months ago, some Conservative MPs have backed Mr Johnson, who has reportedly told allies in recent days that he will formally take part in the election. increase.
But in a statement late Sunday, Johnson said it was “just not the right time”. About 60 lawmakers publicly supported the former prime minister, though question marks were raised over the exact number of nominations he received.
In a statement, Johnson referred to two rivals, Rishi Snack and Penny Mordaunt, who have officially entered the contest.
“I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny, but I hoped that we could unite for the sake of our national interests, and sadly, I have not been able to find a way to do this.
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Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak is now the frontrunner to become Britain’s next leader, with around 140 candidates nominated to date.
Johnson returned from a vacation in the Caribbean on Saturday. there is
Former Culture Secretary and Johnson aide Nadine Dries tweeted on thursday He is the only member of parliament to receive a “mandate from party members and the British people” who won the 2019 general election.
“I have a very good chance of succeeding in an election with members of the Conservative Party, and indeed I can return to Downing Street on Friday. Without a unified party in Parliament, we cannot govern effectively.” ‘” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson has enjoyed a high profile, but his last months as prime minister saw him lose credibility amid political scandals over Covid-19 rule-breaking and ties to disgraced MP Chris Pincher. lost.
In his farewell speech, he hinted at a future return to the office with the words “Hasta la vista, baby” or “see you soon.”
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned on Thursday, ending a short 44-day term plagued by “minimal budget” turmoil, economic turmoil and weeks of political infighting.
How the contest works
Truss’ successor will again be determined by a Conservative leadership contest drawn from a shortlist of candidates. It was rapidly tracked to a one-week space.
Candidates must get the support of 100 members of parliament by 2pm London time on Monday to participate in a vote for the party leader.
The threshold is particularly high given that the party is made up of 357 members and each member can only vote for one candidate. Therefore, the number of possible candidates he is limited to three.
If even one candidate gets the required 100 votes, that candidate automatically wins the race and becomes Britain’s next Prime Minister. If two or more candidates reach her 100 nominations, the contest will proceed to scheduled voting on Monday afternoon and evening.
If the process is extended beyond Monday, about 200,000 Conservative Party members, representing 0.3% of the UK population, will have to vote online for their preferred candidate until 11am on Friday. there is.
