UK Boris Johnson pulls out of Tory race for PM

23 Oct 2022

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Newslooks- LONDON (AP)

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday he will not run to lead the Conservative Party, ending a short-lived attempt to return to the prime minister’s job he was ousted from little more than three months ago.

A general view of 10 Downing Street, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party’s race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. He has garnered support from over 100 Tory lawmakers to forge ahead of his two main rivals: ousted former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt. But widespread uncertainty remained after British media reported that Sunak held late-night talks with Johnson on Saturday. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

His withdrawal leaves former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak the strong favorite to be Britain’s next prime minister. He could win the contest as soon as Monday.

Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party’s race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. He has garnered support from over 100 Tory lawmakers to forge ahead of his two main rivals: ousted former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt. But widespread uncertainty remained after British media reported that Sunak held late-night talks with Johnson on Saturday. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Johnson, who was ousted in July amid ethics scandals has been widely expected to run to replace Liz Truss, who quit last week after her tax-cutting economic package caused turmoil in financial markets and obliterated her authority inside the governing party.

A placard is placed outside the gates of Downing Street, in London, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. While the opposition Labour Party is demanding an election, the governing conservatives are pushing on with choosing another prime minister from within their own ranks, which they have the right to do because of the way Britain’s parliamentary democracy works. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Johnson spent the weekend trying to gain support from fellow lawmakers after flying back from a Caribbean vacation.

FILE – Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Gatwick Airport in London, after travelling on a flight from the Caribbean, following the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister, Oct. 22, 2022. Boris Johnson said Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 he will not run to lead UK Conservative Party, quashing comeback speculation. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP, File)

Late Sunday he said he had amassed more than 100 names, the threshold to run.

But he was far behind Sunak in support. Johnson said he had concluded that “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament.”

Sunak garnered the public support of well over 100 Tory lawmakers to forge ahead of his two main rivals: Johnson and ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt.

Penny Mordaunt arrives at BBC Broadcasting House in London, to appear on the BBC One current affairs program, Sunday July 17, 2022. Penny Mordaunt, a junior government minister and Royal Navy reservist who is little known to the general public, has surged to become the bookies’ favorite to become Britain’s next prime minister. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)

The Conservative Party hastily ordered a contest that aims to finalize nominations Monday and install a new prime minister — its third this year — within a week.

Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak outside his home in London, Saturday Oct. 22, 2022. Liz Truss’ resignation as British Prime Minister on Thursday triggered another leadership race — the second in just four months — for the U.K.’s fractured and demoralized Conservative Party. (Beresford Hodge/PA via AP)

Sunak, 42, was runner-up after Truss in this summer’s Tory leadership race to replace Johnson after he was forced out by a string of ethics scandals. On Sunday, he confirmed he was running again in the latest leadership contest.

“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.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at Gatwick Airport in London, after travelling on a flight from the Caribbean, following the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister, Saturday Oct. 22, 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

Johnson’s exit came after allies insisted he would run.. Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg told the BBC on Sunday that he spoke with Johnson and “clearly he’s going to stand” after flying back to London Saturday from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

A possible return to power for Johnson, 58, who officially quit only in early September, deeply divided the Conservatives and alarmed many others. Supporters say he is a vote winner and has enough support from lawmakers, but many critics warn that another Johnson government would be catastrophic for the party and the country.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks outside Downing Street in London, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 before heading to Balmoral in Scotland, where he will announce his resignation to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Later on Tuesday Liz Truss will formally become Britain’s new Prime Minister after an audience with the Queen. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, a former backer of Johnson and an influential politician within the Conservative Party, warned a Johnson comeback would be a “guaranteed disaster.” Baker noted that Johnson still faces an investigation into whether he lied to Parliament while in office about breaking his government’s own coronavirus restrictions during parties at Downing Street.

If found guilty, Johnson could be suspended as a lawmaker.

“This isn’t the time for Boris and his style,” Baker told Sky News on Sunday. “What we can’t do is have him as prime minister in circumstances where he’s bound to implode, taking down the whole government … and we just can’t do that again.”

The United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi speaks to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during their meeting at the Treasury Department, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

But Johnson won the backing of several senior Conservatives, including Nadhim Zahawi, another former Treasury chief.

“He was contrite and honest about his mistakes. He’d learned from those mistakes how he could run No 10 and the country better,” Zahawi said.

In this grab taken from video from the House of Commons, Prime Minister Liz Truss speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons in London, Wednesday Oct. 19, 2022. (House of Commons/PA via AP)

Truss quit Thursday after a turbulent 45 days, conceding that she could not deliver on her botched tax-cutting economic package, which she was forced to abandon after it sparked fury within her party and weeks of turmoil in financial markets.

Rishi Sunak poses for photographers upon arrival for the premiere of the film ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical’ on the opening evening of the 2022 London Film Festival in London, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Sunak, who was Treasury chief from 2020 until this summer, steered Britain’s slumping economy through the coronavirus pandemic. He quit in July in protest of Johnson’s leadership.

In the summer contest to replace Johnson, Sunak called promises by Truss and other rivals to immediately slash taxes reckless “fairy tales” and argued that climbing inflation must be controlled first.