Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak lead race to be UK’s next prime minister

  • No candidates have announced their intention to run
  • Doubts over Johnson’s ability to hit target of 100 MPs nominated
  • Sunak is a favorite of bookmakers
  • The winner will be the fifth British prime minister in six years

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) – On Friday, Boris Johnson and his former finance minister Rishi Sunak led potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss as the candidate was vying for support to become the prime minister. Conservative leader, run a quick campaign.

After Truss resigned on Thursday, ending her six-week term in office, those who want to replace her are trying to get 100 votes from Conservative MPs in a campaign the party hopes will reset its predicament .

With the Conservative Party all but wiped out in the next general election, the race will be the fifth British prime minister in six years, polls show.

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The winner will be announced on Monday or Friday next week.

Johnson, who was ousted by lawmakers more than three months ago, fought alongside Sunak in an extraordinary return to be crowned as the next prime minister.

“I think he has a solid track record of turning things around. He can turn things around again. I’m sure my colleagues heard the message clearly,” Conservative MP Paul Bristow said of Johnson on LBC radio.

“Boris Johnson can win the next general election,” he said.

Johnson, who compared himself to the Roman dictator who came to power twice to fend off a crisis, may struggle to get 100 votes after his three-year term was thwarted by scandals and allegations of misconduct.

One of his former advisers, who no longer speaks to Johnson and asked not to be named, said he was unlikely to hit the mark because he alienated dozens of Conservatives during his scandal-plagued tenure.

The Financial Times, which called for a new election, said Boris’s comeback would be “hilarious”.

Will Walden, who worked for Johnson, said the former prime minister was returning from vacation and being tested.

“This country needs a mature, serious leader. Boris has a chance, let’s move on. I doubt the Conservatives won’t do it and they will probably re-elect him,” he told the BBC.

Commerce Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said he supported Boris, using the hashtag “#Borisorbust” on Twitter.

The match began on Thursday, and hours later, Truss stood in front of her Downing Street office saying she couldn’t go on.

Former Goldman Sachs analyst Sunak, who became finance minister when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe and was a runner-up to Truss in the last leadership contest this summer, was the bookmaker’s favorite, followed by Johnson.

In third place was former Defense Secretary Penny Mordout, who was popular with party members. No one has officially announced their candidacy.

Truss Exit

Truss resigned during one of Britain’s shortest and most chaotic terms as prime minister after her economic plan damaged the country’s reputation for financial stability and made many poorer.

Truss said she could no longer execute her economic plan after it roiled markets, forcing her to turn around under the new finance minister after she fired her closest political ally.

The resignation speech of another unpopular prime minister in Downing Street on Thursday – and the start of a new leadership race – underscored how volatile British politics has become since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Some Conservative MPs want the race to replace her to be quick and easy, urging hopefuls to rally around one candidate to reduce the pain of another brewing race.

Sunak, who was proven correct in his warnings that Truss’ fiscal plans threatened the economy, remains very unpopular with some party members after he helped spark the summer rebellion against Johnson.

Mordaunt is seen as a new pair of hands, largely untainted by earlier governments. But she’s also untested and has so far fallen behind Sunak and Johnson in gaining supporters.

The next leader faces a difficult economic situation, taking over an economy heading for recession, inflation above 10%, rising interest rates, labor shortages and a tightening cost of living.

British shoppers sharply reined in spending, with confidence levels near record lows, data on Friday showed, while weaker-than-expected public borrowing data underscored economic challenges ahead.

Whoever takes over the party also has a mountain to climb, trying to restore or renew the reputation of the Conservative Party, which has a majority in parliament and does not need to hold another two years of national elections.

Political scientist John Curtice told LBC: “Whether the leadership change was enough to give the Conservative Party any real credibility in the election is certainly debatable.”

“The problem with the Conservatives is that their brand as an economy-focused party … has been damaged very, very badly now and it’s probably going to be very difficult to recover in two years.”

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Writing by Elizabeth Piper and Kelly McClellan; Additional reporting by Muvija M, Sachin Ravikumar and William Schomberg; Editing by Toby Chopra and Catherine Evans

Our Standard: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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