Un Shortage of candidates. The list of successors to Boris Johnson has been narrowed down with the departure of British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Yet among favourites, he announced on Saturday 9 July his decision not to stand for election to lead the Conservative Party. Rishi Sunak is the only heavyweight who can take over the post of Prime Minister.
Two days after the announcement of the resignation of 58-year-old Boris Johnson, immersed in a flood of scandals, his successors are gradually revealing their intentions, which will open the door for him to replace him at the head of the Conservative Party, and therefore in Downing Street. , the Tories have a majority in the House of Commons.
Ben Wallace remains in government
Despite many supporters, Ben Wallace wrote on Twitter that he “decided not to enter the race” and wanted to focus on his current role and “ensure the security of the country”.
Also read thisThe race to succeed Boris Johnson continues
On Friday, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, 42, launched his first major suit as a candidate, fueling suspicions of long-drawn-out candidacy and treason in a particularly polished video. In the clip, which garnered 7 million views on Saturday, Rishi Sunak promises to “restore confidence”, “rebuild the economy and reunify the country”.
Rishi Sunak, a long-time favorite to enter Downing Street if Boris Johnson falls, was allowed to pay no tax on overseas income to UK tax after revealing his wealthy wife’s advantageous tax status a few months ago. authorities. In a United Kingdom hit by inflation at its highest level in forty years (over 9%), he also felt a backlash from public opinion in the face of a cost-of-living crisis.
His candidacy announcement, which many MPs immediately lined up, appears to have sparked a comeback: a poll on Friday for Channel 4 among 493 party members shows him the preference of the Conservatives (25%), ahead of the foreign minister. Lis Truss (21%).
“Plattitudes and empty rhetoric”
The state of the party promises a very open contest, in which Penny Mordont, secretary of state for foreign trade, and former health minister Sajid Javid appear as serious rivals. But none of them have declared themselves yet. Along with Sajid Javid, Rishi Sunak was one of the first to leave the government on Tuesday evening without even telling Boris Johnson. The two near-simultaneous resignations caused the Brexit hero to bleed politically fatal.
Also read thisBoris Johnson alone: Tragicomedy in Downing Street
Several other less likely candidates have thrown themselves into the race for succession. Former Secretary of State for Equality Kemi Badenoch called for change and stressed the comments were “tired of platitudes and empty rhetoric”. So she joins Sulla Braverman – the attorney general, responsible for advising the government on legal grounds – and Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs.
Raising the limit
A total of fifteen applications are expected. In view of the possibility of such an incursion, an increase in the number of sponsorships and votes required in the early part of the nomination process was envisaged, Tadeo Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the committee in 1922, explained in an internal assignment. Organization of the party. The two finalists could be known in less than two weeks, before the summer parliamentary session, which starts on the 22nd.
Also read thisBoris Johnson: A resignation after many adventures
According to reports emerging in the British press, the vote of 160,000 voters in the last internal election of 2019 – of Conservative Party members – will take place by the start of the academic year. The Executive Office of the Committee of 1922 is to be renewed on Monday. He is the one who sets the rules and the timetable.
Boris Johnson, who announced his resignation on Thursday, said he intends to stay in Downing Street until a new party leader is elected. Whoever it is, Downing Street’s next tenant will face a number of difficult issues, whether it’s purchasing power after Brexit, Ukraine or Northern Ireland’s barbed-file crisis.
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