Three top UK ministers backed Boris Johnson to return as British prime minister on Friday after Liz Truss’ resignation sparked a race to quickly replace her as leader of the Conservative Party.
Former Defense Minister Penny Mordaunt became the first candidate to enter the race officially, but Johnson and Rishi Sunak, who was her finance minister, lead the potential candidates as both already have support ahead of next week’s vote.
With the Conservatives holding a majority in Parliament and able to ignore calls for a general election for another two years, the party’s new leader will become prime minister, the UK’s fifth in six years.
Those looking to replace Truss, who resigned on Thursday after six chaotic weeks, must secure 100 nominations from Conservative lawmakers by Monday. Truss herself succeeded Johnson after he was ousted by his colleagues in July.
The party hopes the dispute will revitalize the group’s fortunes. Opinion polls suggest the Conservatives will be defeated by a wide margin if an election is held now.
Johnson has not formally announced he will run, but momentum was building behind him, with Business Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and Leveling, Housing and Communities Minister Simon Clarke giving him their backing. Influential Defense Minister Ben Wallace said he is inclined to support the former leader.
A return to the top will be an extraordinary comeback for Johnson, who remains popular with party members, although a YouGov poll of 3,429 adults conducted on Friday found that 52% of Britons would be unhappy to see him return as prime minister. minister.
But Johnson, who left office comparing himself to a Roman dictator brought to power twice to avoid crises, could struggle to reach 100 votes after his three-year term was marred 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 reach the plateau, having alienated dozens of conservatives during his scandal-ridden tenure.
The Financial Times, which called for a new election, said a return of Boris would be “a farce”.
Will Walden, who also previously worked for Johnson, said the former prime minister was returning from vacation and taking polls.
“The country needs an adult and serious leader. Boris had his chance, let’s move on. I suspect that’s not what the Conservative Party will do, they might very well re-elect him,” Walden told the BBC.
The dispute erupted on Thursday, hours after Truss stood outside her Downing Street office to say she could not continue.
Sunak, the former Goldman Sachs analyst who became finance minister as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe and came in second in the previous race won by Truss, is the bookmakers’ favorite, followed by Johnson.
Truss resigned after the shortest and most chaotic term of any British prime minister after his economic program shattered the country’s reputation for financial stability and left many people poorer.
The now-former prime minister said she could no longer carry out her program after her economic plan rocked markets, forcing a turnaround under a new finance minister after she fired her closest political ally.
The sight on Thursday of yet another unpopular prime minister delivering a resignation speech in Downing Street – and the start of a new race for leadership – underscores how volatile British politics have become since the 2016 Brexit vote.
The winner will be announced on Monday (24) or Friday of the next week (28).
Source: CNN Brasil
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