LONDON — Candidates to succeed Boris Johnson, Britain’s scandal-ridden Prime Ministerwere already jogging for a position Friday as his injured side grappled with whether to allow him to remain janitor until his replacement is chosen, a task that could stretch into summer.
A day after Mr Johnson reluctantly announced his departure, Tom Tugendhat, a centrist lawmaker, said he would run to replace him, while Suella Braverman, the attorney general, declared her interest in the job even before Mr Johnson. resigned.
Neither is seen as a frontrunner in a highly unpredictable conservative leadership contest. Under the British system, the party with the most legislators in parliament gets the chance to form a government, and if it changes leader, that person can become the new prime minister without the need for a general election.
Emboldened in a new scandal over his handling of sexual assault allegations against a lawmaker, Mr Johnson – who had previously warded off several other scandals — fought desperately to keep his job, despite dozens of resignations from his government on Wednesday.
As the exodus of government officials continued through Thursday, Mr Johnson ultimately had no choice but to announce that his often chaotic time in Downing Street, marked by frequent periods of crisis, was being brought to a close. nearing its end†
A question hanging on British politics was resolved on Friday when police decided not to fine opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer over allegations that he had broken lockdown rules.
Mr Starmer, a former chief prosecutor, had promised to resign if he broke the law – which would have sparked leadership competitions in both of Britain’s main political parties.
However, attention will focus on the battle to succeed Mr Johnson, and the list of his potential successors is likely to grow in the coming days, with several high-profile figures expected to express their interest. They include the Secretary of State, Liz Truss; the Chancellor of the Treasury, Nadhim Zahawi; Mr Zahawi’s predecessor as Chancellor, Rishi Sunak; and two former health secretaries, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt. Steve Baker, a former minister and Brexit hardliner, has also suggested he will join the race.
As those potential candidates battle it out, it looked like Mr Johnson would likely extend his Downing Street stay for several weeks, leading a crippled cabinet that has promised not to take any new policy initiatives until he quits.
Johnson has resisted calls for him to be immediately set aside, an idea supported, among others, by a former Conservative Prime Minister, John Major. But after promising to quit on Thursday, Mr Johnson convinced enough senior lawmakers to help him form an emergency cabinet, allowing him to continue for the time being.
When Mr Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, agreed to step down, there was little discussion about her decision to continue as caretaker until her successor was chosen.
Read more about the political situation in Great Britain
However, the circumstances surrounding Mr Johnson’s departure are very different as he was ousted under a cloud of scandals that raised serious questions about his honesty and integrity. His refusal to step aside immediately has infuriated the opposition Labor party, which has threatened to demand a vote of no confidence in parliament against the government.
“How many more months of chaos do we have to endure?” wrote Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labor Party, in an opinion article in the Daily Express.
“Enough is enough.” she added. “The public has had enough of the lies, violations of the law and sleaze.”
But for Conservatives, agreeing a vote of no confidence would pose huge risks: If passed, Britain would be plunged into a general election at a time when the party is struggling in the polls. As such, and with conservative lawmakers easily holding the largest number of seats in parliament, that scenario seems implausible.
How long Mr Johnson will remain in Downing Street will most likely be determined by the results of the Conservative leadership contest, the timetable of which is expected to be decided Monday. That forms the basis for conservative lawmakers to select their two top candidates, with the final choice being made by dues-paying members of the party.
Candidates are likely to be the ones looking to raise their profile and audition for cabinet positions as well as the more serious candidates.
The lack of a clear favorite could encourage other high-ranking conservative politicians to try their luck. That group includes the Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallace; the Secretary of the Interior, Priti Patel; the transportation secretary, Grant Shapps; and Michael Gove, who was still a member of the cabinet on Wednesday.
The fall of Boris Johnson, explained
Unrest in Downing Street. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would resign less than three years after his landslide election victory a series of scandals who have ensnared his government. This is what led to this:
mr. Gove is a friend and rival of Mr. Johnson from their time at Oxford University. They were among the most prominent proponents of Brexit, but Mr Gove was sacked from the cabinet on Wednesday evening after urging the prime minister to step down.
Although the list of candidates could reach double digits, lawmakers are expected to limit the number of participants to two before the summer recess, which is scheduled for July 21.
The final decision is then left to about 200,000 members of the Conservative Party. In 2019, when Mr Johnson won leadership, he did so after several weeks of campaigning in which he and his rival, Mr Hunt, attended campaign events across the country.
That second part of the process did not take place in 2016, when David Cameron stepped aside after British voters chose to leave the European Union. In the contest to replace him, Andrea Leadsom, one of two contenders selected by lawmakers, eventually withdrew, giving Theresa May an unimpeded path to Downing Street.
That could happen again and if it did, it would shorten the match considerably. But in 2016, it spawned a leader whose campaigning skills had not been tested and then found short when Ms May called an early general election the following year. She lost its parliamentary majorityso the conservatives may be hesitant to make a quick pick this time around.
Whoever comes out on top probably won’t generate as much news as their predecessor, who was still in the headlines on Friday, this time accused of trying to partially keep his job as a janitor.o that he could have a postponed wedding at Checkers, the rural residence of the British Prime Ministers. Mr Johnson married his third wife, Carrie Symondslast year.
His aides have said Mr Johnson sees it as his duty to stay on, adding that the venue has changed for the event. But speaking to the BBC, the Education Secretary, James Cleverly, said Mr Johnson should hold his wedding party at Checkers regardless of when his successor is chosen.
It would be “impolite,” Mr. Cleverly said, “to be negative about two people who want to celebrate their marriage and their love for each other.”