Boris Johnson resigned

LAST UPDATE: 15:44

Johnson despite efforts to hold on to power leaves the prime ministership after the mass resignations of more than 54 ministers and government officials.

Johnson has said he will continue to serve as Britain’s prime minister until a new Tory leader is elected. “The process of choosing a new leader should start now,” Johnson said, speaking outside Number 10 Downing Street. “And today I appointed a cabinet to serve, as I do, until a new leader is appointed,” he added.

“I am immensely proud of the achievements of this government,” Johnson said in a brief review of his work: “From getting Brexit done to sorting out our relationship with continental Europe for over half a century. power for this country to pass its own laws in parliament, we have dealt with the pandemic, we have organized the fastest vaccination campaign in Europe, the fastest lifting of the lockdown and in recent months we have led the West to raise its stature in Putin’s aggression in Ukraine”.

In his special mention of Ukraine, he pledged that Britain would continue to support it.

Thanking those who voted Conservative in 2019, Johnson gave a brief look back at his tenure. “I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time: ‘Thank you for this incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest turnout since the 1979 election.’ .

“And the reason I have fought so hard in recent days to continue to exercise this command of government personally is not only that I wanted to do it, but because I felt that this was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019”.

He spoke of a bright future for Britain, although things are not looking so rosy at the moment.

He also said that being the prime minister of a country is an education in itself and emphasized that he is leaving the best job in the world, while expressing his regret that he will not be able to complete his term.

“I know there will be many who will be relieved and maybe a few who will be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to leave the best job in the world,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Johnson “made the right decision”. “We need calm and unity now and continue to govern until a new leader is found.”

Ukraine’s president’s adviser thanked outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday for always being at the forefront of Ukraine’s support.

Mykhailo Podoliak said he was “a straight-talker from the beginning” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

How will the successor be elected?

– Candidates running for the leadership, and there can be many, must be nominated by two other Conservative MPs.

– Conservative MPs then hold several rounds of votes to narrow the field. Each time they are asked to vote for their preferred candidate in a secret ballot and the person with the fewest votes is eliminated.

– This process is repeated until two candidates remain. Votes were previously held every Tuesday and Thursday, but parliament is due to break for a six-week summer break on July 21, so the process may need to be sped up.

– The final two candidates are then put to a postal vote among members of the wider Conservative Party, with the winner being named the new leader.

– The leader of the party with the majority in the House of Commons is the de facto Prime Minister. He is not obliged to call early elections, but he has the power to do so.

The length of the leadership contest can vary, depending on how many people are running. Theresa May became leader less than three weeks after David Cameron resigned in 2016 and all the other candidates dropped out midway through the race.

Johnson faced former health secretary Jeremy Hunt in a repeat vote by Conservative MPs to replace May in 2019 and took office two months after May announced her intention to stand down.

The dominant successors

At the same time, betting companies are preparing for the succession race, betting on the leading candidates for the reins of the country, as reported by Bloomberg.

Trade Secretary Penny Mordant, who is seen in the party as having strong Brexit credentials, charisma and good leadership qualities, is seen as the favorite to succeed Johnson. Tellingly, Sky Bet are betting £4 to 1 that Mordant will be the next Tory leader.

Rishi Sunak, until recently the finance minister, is the second most likely candidate.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Health Secretary Sajid Javid round out the top five contenders for the Tory leadership, according to Sky Bet.

Underdogs include new Finance Minister Nadeem Zahawi and former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, with odds for the two politicians ranging at 9/1 and 12/1 respectively.

However, despite growing speculation of a general election this year, betting firms suggest it is more likely to take place in 2023 or later.

It is noted that bets regarding political developments are not valid predictions, as they do not reflect the opinions of experts who spend their lives analyzing the political affairs of the country, however they are a strong indicator.

YouGov poll: Ben Wallace most suitable for new Tory leader

A new YouGov poll of 716 Conservative party members shows at first glance that the field to succeed Johnson appears to be diverse.

Current Defense Secretary Ben Wallace tops the list, with 13%, neck and neck with Trade Secretary Penny Mordant (12%). Former Home Secretary Rishi Sunak gets 10% and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss gets 8%.

Jeremy Hunt, who came second in the 2019 Conservative leadership contest, is in eighth place with 5%, along with new chancellor Nadim Zahawi.

As YouGov reports, while the choice of successor appears to be in doubt, the poll pitting the candidates against each other has a clear winner, Ben Wallace.

Wallace wins all of his matchups by a wide margin. His closest competitor is Sunak, who he beats with 51% to 30%. She beats both Truss and Mordaud with 48% of the vote to 26-29%. And most Conservative members (58%) prefer him to Hunt (22%).