(London) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that he would not support any of the 11 candidates now in the running to succeed him, in a very open and already brutal race, which will end on September 5 next.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone’s chances by offering my support,” he said in his first public appearance since stepping down last Thursday.
After a weekend at Chequers, the prime ministers’ country residence, Mr Johnson also said he was “determined to pursue the mandate given to us” and that the next head of government would have “a very good program to continue.
“But my job is above all to supervise the procedure for the next few weeks,” he added, refusing to go back to the events of last week.
PHOTO STEFAN ROUSSEAU, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boris Johnson leaving Downing Street on Monday morning
Interior Minister Priti Patel could position herself during the day in the race to replace him.
On Sunday evening, Foreign Minister Liz Truss, 46, rushed into battle, joining former ministers Rishi Sunak (Finance), 42, and Sajid Javid (Health), 52.
Other heavyweights include Secretary of State for International Trade Penny Mordaunt, 49, and newly minted Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, 55, who has already been attacked for allegedly the subject of a tax investigation.
Believing that we are trying to “dirty” him, he promised to publish his tax return each year, if he became prime minister.
Billions of promises
In the absence of a clear favourite, the race promises to be as short as it is brutal, with the risk of an escalation of attacks and empty promises, in a country in the midst of a cost of living crisis with inflation at 9, 1%.
Most of the candidates immediately put tax cuts at the heart of their very right-wing campaigns, without explaining how to finance them.
Liz Truss promised to tackle it “from day one”. Rishi Sunak, already violently attacked by Boris Johnson’s allies who accuse him of treason, warned on the contrary against “comforting fairy tales at the moment, but which will make the situation worse for our children tomorrow”.
The Labor Party, the first opposition party, calculated that the combined announcements of the candidates represented some 200 billion pounds (236 billion euros).
Boris Johnson’s successor known on September 5
The name of Boris Johnson’s successor at the head of the British Conservative Party will be known on September 5, announced Monday evening the chairman of the parliamentary committee responsible for establishing the rules of the ballot, Graham Brady.
He said nominations would open and close on Tuesday, and a first round to begin eliminating some of the 11 candidates would take place as early as Wednesday. A second will take place on Thursday.
Applicants will need at least 20 referrals for their application to be accepted.
Boris Johnson, forced to resign last Thursday by a mutiny within his government, announced that he would not support any.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone’s chances by offering my support,” he said Monday in his first public appearance since his resounding resignation.
The new leader of the Conservative Party will automatically become Prime Minister, the party having the majority in the House of Commons.
The contending candidates will likely need to show they have the support of 36 MPs to reach the second round, the committee’s executive secretary, Bob Blackman, told Sky News on Monday. To date, only Rishi Sunak has reached that number, according to a Politico tally.
In a very fluid race, three candidates had Monday the favors of the bookmakers, Rishi Sunak, followed by Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss.
Nominations could close on Tuesday evening, with elimination votes to begin immediately, so that only two finalists remain when the parliamentary recess begins on July 22.
Television channel Sky News announced a debate between the candidates on July 18. The finalists will then have a few weeks to campaign.
The winner of the race will become prime minister, with the party having a majority in the House.
Until then, Boris Johnson, forced to resign Thursday after a mutiny within his government tired of scandals and lies, remains in Downing Street.
Last week, he made it clear that his government, hastily rebuilt after dozens of departures in 48 hours, would not seek to implement new policies or make major changes.
The big budget decisions will be left to the next prime minister.
