Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who widened the gap in the race for the head of the British government, met on Saturday evening. Boris Johnson had returned to London in the morning after a vacation in the Caribbean, reinforcing the hypothesis of his candidacy in the race for Downing Street. He met Boris Sunak to discuss competition within the Conservative Party to succeed resigned Liz Truss, according to multiple media outlets including the BBC. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, whose resignation had led to that of his boss, have not at this stage publicly embarked on this blitzkrieg.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, they spoke of a “joint candidacy” to avoid a “civil war” for the Tories. After the resignation of Liz Truss, who remained only 44 days in power, three names have emerged: the current Minister for Relations with Parliament Penny Mordaunt, who formalized her candidacy on Friday, Rishi Sunak, who had lost in early September against Liz Truss , and Boris Johnson, who resigned in July after a succession of scandals. James Duddridge, an ally of Mr Johnson in Parliament, had reported an exchange with his “boss” on Friday evening. “He said: ‘We will do it, I am ready,’ according to this MP. The former Prime Minister left Parliament on July 20, launching “Hasta la vista, baby!”.
“Worst idea in 46 years”
Rishi Sunak, whose resignation from the Johnson government was followed by around sixty others, is the first to have exceeded the threshold of 100 sponsorships on Friday evening required to hope to take the lead of the Conservative party and therefore win Downing Street. Boris Johnson would also have exceeded 100, according to James Duddridge, but this has not been confirmed. And he is still far behind in the media that do the count. According to the Guido Fawkes site, which closely follows the upheavals of the race, Rishi Sunak had 128 sponsorships on Saturday afternoon, ahead of Boris Johnson (72) and Penny Mordaunt (25).
Candidates have until Monday afternoon to obtain these sponsorships. The 357 Conservative MPs will vote first and, if there are two candidates left in the running, the 170,000 party members will have to decide between them by an internet vote by October 28. In the event of a single candidate, he would enter Downing Street directly at the start of the week. Much of the game was played behind the scenes on Saturday for Johnson and Sunak, who have been at loggerheads since this summer, each vying for more sponsorships, further dividing the Tories.
Changing sides
Rishi Sunak “is the ideal candidate”, said on Sky News Dominic Raab, ex-deputy Prime Minister, who highlighted his economic skills. “We cannot have another episode (…) of the partygate soap opera”, in reference to the illegal parties in Downing Street during the anti-Covid confinement, he also said. The last months of Boris Johnson’s mandate were marked by several scandals, including that of the “partygate” in which the police considered that he had broken the law.
He is still under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Committee which could, in theory, lead to his suspension from Parliament or even his expulsion as an MP. Former Conservative Party leader William Hague has warned a return of Boris Johnson would result in a “death spiral” for the party. “It’s probably the worst idea I’ve heard in my 46 years as a Conservative Party member,” he said. And even relatives turn their backs on him. For David Frost, an important ally of Johnson during the Brexit campaign, “it is simply not right to risk repeating the chaos of last year”.
The hardest blow certainly comes from Steve Barclay, his former chief of staff, who announced his support for Rishi Sunak. “Our country is facing significant economic challenges and Rishi is best placed to deal with them,” he tweeted. The same sentiment on the side of the influential Minister of Commerce Kemi Badenoch: Rishi Sunak “would be a formidable leader in times of crisis”. But Boris Johnson can always count on strong support, such as that of his former interior minister Priti Patel. The next prime minister will be the fifth since 2016, when the UK voted to leave the European Union.