He is not yet officially a candidate, but there are many signs of interest. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on a plane to return to London on Saturday morning after his Caribbean vacation. A quick return that reinforces the hypothesis of his candidacy for Downing Street after the resignation of Liz Truss on Thursday.
On Friday night, an ally of Boris Johnson in Parliament, James Duddridge, had warned: “he will take the plane to return”. “He said: ‘We will do it, I’m ready,'” according to this deputy who exchanged with him on WhatsApp.
But the former prime minister, who had left Parliament on July 20 launching “Hasta la vista, baby!”, has not yet officially announced his candidacy. However, three names have emerged in this flash campaign within the Conservative Party: the current Minister for Relations with Parliament Penny Mordaunt, who formalized her candidacy on Friday, Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who had lost in early September to Liz Truss, and thus the former Prime Minister.
A clash with Sunak
His fight with Rishi Sunak dominates the headlines on Saturday. “Johnson and Sunak lead the race as hopes of unity fade,” headlines The Independent. “Conservative tribes go to war,” writes The Guardian. The Daily Telegraph stays factual on the front page: “Rishi Sunak is racing to secure a majority of Conservative MPs.”
Rishi Sunak, whose resignation from the Johnson government had prompted his boss’s, managed to cross the threshold of 100 patronages needed to compete to take the lead from the Conservative party and thus automatically from Downing Street.
But he hasn’t officially entered the race either. He has not made a public appearance since Liz Truss resigned.
Source: BFM TV
