Sunak and Mordaunt are now the only candidates, but the latter is unlikely to reach the necessary number of recommendations from the 100 members of the faction. If Sunak really remains the only one, he will be the new leader of the party on Monday, as well as the prime minister after a visit to the king. It would be special for this 42-year-old Briton of Indian descent, especially since Monday is Diwali, the most important holiday for Hindus.
Johnson claimed he had enough support from the group on Sunday night, but concluded that this was “not the right thing to do”. Because of divisions in the Conservative Party, he does not think he has a compelling mandate. “You can’t govern effectively if you don’t have a unified party in Parliament,” Johnson said.
need for stability
The conservative group now mainly needs stability and has a clear preference for Sunak. In a very short time, the ex-Finance Minister received the necessary number of recommendations this weekend. Sunday morning, the man who lost the previous leadership election to Liz Truss officially ran for president. He was preceded by Benny Mordaunt, the Conservative Party leader in the House of Commons, but he has yet to compile a hundred statements of support. She also participated in the race for the premiership after the fall of Boris Johnson last summer.
Most of the attention this weekend went, as is often the case, to the former prime minister who resigned in July. On Saturday morning, Johnson returned from a family vacation in the Dominican Republic, landing at Gatwick Airport. The access was broadcast live by SkyTV. His friends leaked the news to the press that he would also have 100 Conservative MPs behind him, but no evidence was presented.
Guaranteed disaster
Johnson has already received support from dozens of colleagues, even from ministers who resigned in the summer due to dissatisfaction. Even from Ukraine came votes in favor of Boris. More importantly, Johnson’s old friends defected to Camp Sunak. Former Brexit negotiator David Frost said: “Boris will always be a champion to get Brexit done, but we have to move on. Simply put, it is not right to risk new chaos and confusion.
Hours later, International Trade Minister Kimi Badenouche said something similar. Brexit is complete, Corbyn is gone, Covid has destroyed the economy and unleashed inflation. What we need now is no nostalgia for the chivalrous age of 2019. What we need now is patience, honesty, competence and conservative virtue.” A day later, Steve Baker, the minister who played a key role in the Brexit referendum, called Boris 2.0 a “guaranteed disaster.” .
Supporters of Boris’s reinstatement (BBB) argued that only Johnson had a voter mandate as he gave the Conservatives an electoral victory at the end of 2019. Moreover, polls show he is more likely to defeat Labor than Sunak. The problem, however, is that there is still a parliamentary investigation into Johnson. If it turns out next month that he deliberately lied to the House of Commons about the “party gate”, he will lose his seat, and immediately end his premiership. This scenario would be a fearless disaster for the Conservative Party.
stability
Sunak and Johnson had a long meeting on Saturday evening, but this peace agreement led to nothing. And while Sunak announced his candidacy on Sunday morning, Johnson was quiet for a long time. Another blow to him when commentator Charles Moore, who is in the House of Lords thanks to his stepson Johnson, wrote that now is not the time for Boris to return. “The country needs a firm and competent hand to guide it through difficult economic times.”
Things became more dangerous for Johnson when former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who initiated the downfall of Liz Truss last week, put her faith in Rishi Sunak. This prominent Brexit supporter wrote: ‘I’ve supported Boris from the start’ Sunday Telegraph‘But now we are in difficult times. We need unity, stability and effective leadership. Rishi is the only candidate who meets these requirements and I am proud to support him.
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