British prime minister

2022 - 10 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Race for British prime minister is on (again) after Liz Truss quits (The Washington Post)

With Liz Truss out, contenders face a Monday deadline to get the backing of at least 100 Conservative Party lawmakers.

If there is more than one, the hopefuls will be whittled down before the final two are put forward to the 170,000 members of the Conservative Party. Many at the time speculated it could be a ” the Financial Times In 2019, Johnson helped his party to a whopping great win in the general election. But her “PM4PM” supporters are seeking to change that, pointing out that she polls better with the all-important Conservative Party members than Sunak. They point out that during the last contest his candidacy received the most support from his colleagues and say that many of his economic ideas turned out to be prescient. It’s possible that, given the high bar, only one candidate will be put forward by Monday at 2 p.m., which is when the nominations close. His time in office was marked by scandal after scandal and voters and his own colleagues were upset by his refusal to accept accountability. It is not certain if anyone else could galvanize the population to the same extent — or if Johnson himself even still can. The Telegraph, the Sun and the Daily Express all put on Johnson for their front page, while the left-leaning Mirror just called for a general election “now” in enormous print. Or might someone else emerge as the leading hopeful to become the next Conservative Party leader? Or Penny Mordaunt, who is not widely known but polls well with the Conservative Party members?

Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak lead race to become Britain's next prime ... (Reuters)

Boris Johnson and former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, ...

has now been very, very badly tarnished, and it may be very difficult to recover within the space of two years." [Truss quit](/world/uk/uk-pm-truss-threatens-disciplinary-action-against-rebel-lawmakers-2022-10-20/) on Thursday after the shortest, most chaotic tenure of any British prime minister after her economic programme shattered the country's reputation for financial stability and left many people poorer. Mordaunt is seen as a fresh pair of hands largely untainted by earlier administrations. Running in third is Penny Mordaunt, a former defence minister popular with Conservative Party members. He can turn it around again. With the Conservatives all but facing a wipe out in the next national election according to opinion polls, the race is on to become the fifth British premier in six years.

Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak lead race to become Britain's next prime ... (News24)

Boris Johnson and former finance minister Rishi Sunak are leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss, with candidates ...

has now been very, very badly tarnished, and it may be very difficult to recover within the space of two years." Running in third is Penny Mordaunt, a former defence minister popular with Conservative Party members. Mordaunt is seen as a fresh pair of hands largely untainted by earlier administrations. Whoever takes over the party, they have a mountain to climb to try to restore or renew the reputation of the Conservative Party, which holds a big majority in parliament and need not call a nationwide election for another two years. With the Conservatives all but facing a wipe out in the next national election according to opinion polls, the race is on to become the fifth British premier in six years. Boris Johnson and former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, with candidates canvassing support to become Conservative Party leader in a fast-tracked contest.

Boris Johnson looks for comeback as Britain's ruling Conservative ... (PBS NewsHour)

Several British lawmakers are jockeying for support to become the country's next leader following the implosion of Liz Truss' historically short-lived ...

Still, opposition politicians say the recent tumult — and the decision by Truss to rip up many of the policies on which Johnson was elected — means the government lacks democratic legitimacy. The Conservative turmoil at a time of such high stakes is fueling demands for a national election. Lawmakers will vote to knock out one of those, and will hold an indicative vote on the final two. Truss executed a series of U-turns and replaced her Treasury chief but faced rebellion from lawmakers in her party that obliterated her authority. Despite his troubles, Johnson is still adored by some Conservatives as a vote winner with a rare common touch who led the party to a big election victory in 2019. “We must have a chance at a fresh start. Opinion polls say an election would spell disaster for the Conservatives, with the left-of-center Labour Party winning a large majority. Nominations for a new leader will close on Monday afternoon, and candidates need the signatures of 100 of the 357 Conservative lawmakers, meaning a maximum field of three. Mordaunt, who came third, is popular with the party’s grassroots. The party’s 172,000 members will then get to decide between the two finalists in an online vote. Rolling strikes have revealed the scale of discontent. It would be an astonishing comeback for a polarizing figure forced out just over three months ago amid a welter of ethics scandals.

LOOK: Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak lead race to become Britain's ... (Independent Online)

London - Boris Johnson and former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, ...

has now been very, very badly tarnished, and it may be very difficult to recover within the space of two years." Running in third is Penny Mordaunt, a former defence minister popular with Conservative Party members. Mordaunt is seen as a fresh pair of hands largely untainted by earlier administrations. He can turn it around again. With the Conservatives all but facing a wipe out in the next national election according to opinion polls, the race is on to become the fifth British premier in six years. London - Boris Johnson and former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, with candidates canvassing support to become Conservative Party leader in a fast-tracked contest.

Can Boris Johnson return from the wilderness and become British ... (Irish Examiner)

If he can pull off a comeback, he will face a very different prospect from the one that greeted him in 2019.

It is they who must now decide whether to gamble on the scandal-prone leader once again. And still scandal dogged him. Apart from a tribute to the Queen and continuing his steadfast support for Ukraine he has said little publicly. First came the Owen Paterson affair and then the revelations of Partygate that saw him become the first British prime minister to receive a criminal penalty while in office, before finally the Chris Pincher scandal brought an avalanche of ministerial resignations and his exit from Downing Street. He did manage to secure a Brexit deal, but his decision to reopen the question of the Northern Ireland Protocol suggested Brexit was not “done” while also opening him to accusations he was reneging on an agreement with the UK’s international partners. He even built up a reputation for being able to win in unexpected places, starting with his bid for the London mayoralty in 2008.