Boris Johnson: Tories vie for leadership as race to replace PM begins

• Posted on July 8, 2022July 8, 2022
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Tory MPs are jockeying for position in the race to succeed Boris Johnson after the prime minister quit as Tory leader following a dramatic cabinet mutiny.

Tom Tugendhat is the latest MP to enter the leadership battle, joining Attorney General Suella Braverman and Brexiteer Steve Baker who have shown interest.

Mr Johnson plans to stay on as PM until a replacement is found by the autumn.

Many Tory and opposition politicians want him to leave now – but he has already filled cabinet jobs.

New Education Secretary James Cleverly said he did not agree with calls for Mr Johnson to stand down immediately, saying there was no need for a caretaker prime minister.

But some Tories are deeply unhappy that Mr Johnson is not quitting immediately, with the former Prime Minister Sir John Major saying it would be “unwise” for him to stay until a replacement is chosen.

The Labour Party has also threatened to try and unseat the PM immediately through a vote of no confidence, although this would need considerable support among Conservatives to succeed.

Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner told the BBC “the fact he’s trying to cling on for the next couple of months is completely unacceptable”.

Mr Johnson resigned on Thursday, following two days of desperate attempts to cling onto power amid a flood of resignations.

Nearly 60 Conservative MPs have quit government roles in recent days at both senior and junior levels, raising doubts about the government’s ability to function.

Speaking to his newly appointed cabinet on Thursday, Mr Johnson promised he would not use his remaining time in No 10 to make “major changes of direction.”

-BBC