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LONDON — Boris Johnson has abandoned his bid to return as U.K. prime minister, saying it is “not the right time” to make another run for No. 10 Downing Street.
In a dramatic statement Sunday evening after a weekend spent canvassing Tory MPs, Johnson announced he would not, after all, be putting himself forward to succeed Liz Truss when she steps down as PM this week.
His decision leaves his fierce rival and former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, in pole position to take over as U.K. prime minister in the coming days — although third-placed Penny Mordaunt could yet see a surge in support following Johnson’s abrupt departure from the race.
“I believe I have much to offer,” Johnson said in his statement, “but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”
The rules agreed by Tory Party chiefs following Truss’ shock resignation Thursday state that any candidate hoping to succeed her requires the support of 100 fellow Tory MPs by the time nominations close at 2 p.m. Monday.
Sunak had easily cleared that hurdle by late Saturday afternoon, with Johnson clearly lagging behind and seemingly struggling to make the cut.
In his statement Sunday evening, Johnson insisted he did in fact have the numbers to make the ballot, and that he was confident of winning sufficient grassroots support in the members’ vote that would have followed — but that the need for party unity meant the right thing to do was pull out instead.
“You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament,” Johnson said. “And though I have reached out to both Rishi and Penny — because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest — we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this.
“Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds.”
Johnson had always made clear he hoped to one day return as prime minister after being ousted by his party back in July, following a series of personal scandals. His parting shot to the House of Commons at his final session of Prime Minister’s Wuestions was “Hasta la vista, baby” — a reference to actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous “I’ll be back” catchphrase from the ‘Terminator’ movies.
Indeed, former colleagues of Johnson including his most senior ex-aide, Dominic Cummings, believe he tacitly supported Truss’ bid for No. 10 precisely because he believed she was deeply unsuited to the job, and so would crash and burn once ensconced in No. 10 — potentially giving him the chance of a comeback.
But even Johnson was taken by surprise at the speed of Truss’ meltdown. He was on holiday with his family in the Caribbean when she abruptly resigned Thursday, and was forced to fly back late Friday night to kickstart his nascent leadership bid.
He was supported by several senior figures including Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Cabinet Office Minister Nadhim Zahawi and Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.
“I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership,” Johnson said, “both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament.”
But many other former allies had advised him against another run, and many of the party’s most senior right-wing figures had backed Sunak instead.
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