Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has decided to give up the race for the succession of the resigning Liz Truss as leader of the Tory majority and consequently Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Bo-Jo thus paves the way for Rishi Sunak , 42, a rampant former Chancellor of the Exchequer well regarded by the markets, proclaimed the new leader of the Conservative Party with a majority in Westminster. Later, after the formal resignation of Liz Truss in the hands of Charles III, he will automatically be designated British premier by the king. Welcomed by the City, Sunak becomes the first head of government of the kingdom of Indian ethnic roots. Penny Mordaunt, the only rival after BoJo's resignation, retired at the last minute.
A pragmatic Brexiteer with experience in the world of finance in the City and in the US and wealthy husband of the billionaire Indian heiress Akshata Murty, he could count on the endorsement of no less than 150 deputies (out of the 357 of the Tory group) caught transversely by the ultra-right pro Brexit to the currents more moderate. While Mordaunt, before Johnson's departure, had only about thirty, far from 100.
The former mayor of London, who resigned just a few weeks ago in the wake of scandals such as the so-called Partygate, claimed he garnered more than the 100 MP endorsements needed to run but failed to convince Sunak and the other. suitor, Penny Mordaunt, to reunite behind him.
He therefore admitted that he could not return to "effectively" lead the executive without a broader and more united support from the majority parliamentary group. Yet, he added, "I would have been well placed" to lead the party to a new electoral victory in the next policies - expected at the end of 2024, except for the hypothesis of an early vote - despite the current disastrous polls for the Tories and the detachment quantified at the moment. over 30 points compared to Keir Starmer's Labor opposition.
(Unioneonline / D)