Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Rishi Sunak on course to be UK prime minister as Boris Johnson pulls out of the race

Rishi Sunak on course to be UK prime minister as Boris Johnson pulls out of the race

Former PM Johnson says “not the right time” to bid for a return to 10 Downing Street

Rishi Sunak could be installed as U.K. prime minister as early as Monday after Boris Johnson sensationally abandoned hopes of a return to No. 10 Downing Street.

In a dramatic statement Sunday evening after a weekend spent canvassing Tory MPs, Johnson announced it was “not the right time” for him to attempt a comeback when Liz Truss steps down this week.

His decision leaves Sunak, his fierce rival and former chancellor, in pole position to take over as U.K. prime minister in the coming days — although third-placed Penny Mordaunt could yet see a surge in support following Johnson’s abrupt departure from the race.

“I believe I have much to offer,” Johnson said in a statement, “but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”

The rules agreed by Tory Party chiefs following Truss’ resignation state that any candidate hoping to succeed her requires the support of 100 fellow Tory MPs by the time nominations close on Monday at 2 p.m.

Sunak had easily cleared that hurdle by late Saturday afternoon, with both Johnson and Mordaunt lagging behind and seemingly struggling to make the cut.

In his statement Sunday evening, Johnson claimed he did in fact have the numbers required, and that he was confident of winning sufficient support in the subsequent ballot of Tory grassroots members to put himself back in No. 10. But he said the urgent need for party unity meant he would pull out of the race instead.

“You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament,” Johnson said. “And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny — because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest — we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this.

“Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds.”

Critics of Johnson claimed he simply never had the numbers to meet the 100-MP threshold, pointing to his lack of publicly-declared nominations and the deep-seated anger within the party over his scandal-hit years in Downing Street.

Whatever the truth, with his main rival now out of the race Sunak will be optimistic of winning the contest at the first attempt Monday, without the need for a ballot of the party grassroots. Senior figures including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt rowed in behind Sunak Sunday evening following Johnson’s departure from the race.

Allies of Mordaunt insisted she would remain in the contest and hoped to win enough support from former Johnson supporters to hit the magic total of 100 MPs — so forcing a ballot of members in the days ahead.

But most observers believe Sunak is now firmly on course for Downing Street, just seven astonishing weeks after he was roundly defeated by Truss in the last Tory leadership contest. Victory would see him installed as Britain’s first-ever Hindu prime minister, and at Diwali — the five-day Hindu and Sikh festival of lights.

In a series of tweets Sunday evening Sunak paid tribute to Johnson, the man who gave him his big break in politics in February 2020 — plucking him from the junior ministerial ranks to make him chancellor — before a dramatic falling-out between the pair saw Sunak quit the Cabinet in July 2022, precipitating Johnson’s own departure from No. 10.

Boris Johnson delivered Brexit and the great vaccine roll-out,” Sunak said. “He led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine. We will always be grateful to him for that.

“Although he has decided not to run for PM again, I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad.”

Johnson had always made clear he hoped to one day return as prime minister after being ousted back in July. His parting shot to the House of Commons at his final session of Prime Minister’s Questions was “Hasta la vista, baby” — a reference to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous “I’ll be back” catchphrase from the ‘Terminator’ movies.

Indeed, former colleagues of Johnson including his most senior ex-aide, Dominic Cummings, claim he tacitly supported Truss’ bid for No. 10 precisely because he believed she was unsuited to the role, and so would crash and burn once ensconced in No. 10 — potentially giving him the chance of a comeback.

But even Johnson was taken by surprise at the speed of Truss’ meltdown. He was on holiday with his family in the Caribbean when she abruptly resigned Thursday after just 44 days in power, and was forced to fly home late Friday night to kickstart his nascent leadership bid.

He was supported by several senior figures including Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Cabinet Office Minister Nadhim Zahawi and Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.

But many other former allies had advised him against another run, and several of the party’s most senior right-wing figures had backed Sunak instead.

Even Johnson’s closest supporters were taken by surprise by his decision Sunday evening. Embarrassingly, a newspaper column written by Zahawi backing Johnson for the leadership was published at 9 p.m., the exact moment Johnson was pulling out of the race. Zahawi announced 29 minutes later that he was now backing Sunak instead.

Another prominent Johnson supporter, James Duddridge, tweeted simply: “Well that was unexpected. Off to bed!” An hour later he, too, announced he was backing Sunak.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×