- Johnson was forced to step down this year
- Candidates for prime minister need 100 nominations for legislators
- Sunak is the bookies’ favorite, followed by Johnson
- Truss left after the policies caused market turmoil
LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Boris Johnson returned to Britain from a holiday on Saturday to launch a bold bid for a second term as prime minister in a race that could pit him against his former finance minister, the whose resignation in July helped oust him. office
Potential candidates to replace Prime Minister Liz Truss, who resigned on Thursday after six weeks in office, were embarking on a frenetic weekend of pressure to secure enough nominations to enter the leadership contest before the deadline Monday deadline.
Johnson, who was on holiday in the Caribbean when Truss resigned, has not publicly commented on an offer for his old job. It has received the support of dozens of conservative lawmakers, but needs 100 nominations to be considered.
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Department of Commerce minister James Duddridge said on Friday that Johnson had told him he was “ready”. He said on Saturday that Johnson had secured 100 nominations, although a Reuters tally put him at more than 40 and Rishi Sunak, a former finance minister whose decision to resign helped knock Johnson down, at more than 110.
The new prime minister, a post that will have changed hands three times in four years, faces a huge inbox after Truss’s economic plans sent bond markets into turmoil, raised government borrowing costs and more strains on households and businesses already struggling with a cost. life crisis
The Sunday Times reported that Sunak, currently the bookies’ favourite, and Johnson could meet late on Saturday. He did not elaborate on any planned debate.
Only former Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt has formally declared she will stand, although a Reuters count showed she had just 22 nominations so far ahead of Monday’s 1300 GMT deadline.
Johnson was booed by some passengers on the plane in Britain, a Sky News reporter reported on the flight. Wearing a dark jacket and backpack, Johnson waved to photographers after landing at London’s Gatwick Airport and before departing.
POLARIZATION
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, at Gatwick Airport, near London, Britain, October 22, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
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It would be a stunning comeback for the former journalist and ex-mayor of London, who left Downing Street surrounded by scandal, saying his party colleagues “changed the rules halfway through” to prevent him serving a full term.
In a boost to Sunak, another potential candidate, Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, who entered a leadership race earlier this year, backed the former finance minister and thus ruled herself out of the race. another candidacy for the main job.
The prospect of another Johnson prime minister is a polarizing issue for many in the Conservative Party, which is deeply divided after having four prime ministers in six years.
For some conservative lawmakers, Johnson is a vote-winner, able to appeal across the country with his celebrity image and brand of energetic optimism. For others, he is a toxic figure who would struggle to unite the party and could therefore undermine efforts to build a stable leadership to calm battered financial markets.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel said her former boss had “a mandate to deliver our elected manifesto and a proven track record of getting the big decisions right”.
Andrew Bridgen, another Tory lawmaker, said he might resign from the caucus if Johnson returned and told Tories not to create a “personality cult” of Johnson.
Former Tory leader William Hague said Johnson’s return would lead to a “death spiral” for the party.
Johnson is currently under investigation by Parliament’s Privileges Committee to determine whether he lied to the House of Commons about the parties breaking the deadlock. Ministers who knowingly misled parliament are expected to resign.
The contest has been sped up to run for just one week. Under the rules, only three candidates will be able to make it to lawmakers’ first ballot on Monday afternoon, with the final two going to a vote on Friday that is limited to about 170,000 registered members of the Conservative Party.
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Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Additional reporting by Henry Nicholls; Editing by Edmund Blair and Jason Neely
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