VOTE Leave campaigner Boris Johnson has shocked the UK by announcing he will not join the race for Conservative party leadership.
“I must tell you ... having consulted colleagues in view of the circumstances in parliament I have concluded that person cannot be me,” he said on Thursday morning in the UK.
“My role will be to give every possible support to the next Conservative administration,” Mr Johnson said in a speech that many expected would see him run for the job.
“It is vital that we bring everyone together within the party.”
“This is our chance to restore Britain’s standing as an independent, sovereign and self-governing nation,” he said.
The former London mayor, 52, was widely tipped as a favourite to succeed Mr Cameron after the EU referendum result that saw the UK vote to leave by 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
However his bid was undermined at the last minute by another shock announcement from justice secretary Michael Gove — his closest partner in the Leave camp — who declared his intention to run for leader on Thursday morning.
“If we are to make the most of the opportunities ahead we need a bold break with the past,” he said in a statement.
“I wanted to help build a team behind Boris Johnson so that a politician who argued for leaving the European Union could lead us to a better future”
“But I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead. I have, therefore, decided to put my name forward for the leadership,” he said.
Gove and Johnson worked together closely to deliver a stunning result for the Leave campaign that triggered the resignation of David Cameron.
In the aftermath of the vote that sent shockwaves through the global political community and the financial world, Boris Johnson emerged as a frontrunner for the leadership role due to his charisma and position as a figurehead in the campaign.
However that very centrality is also thought to have made him a target by those opposed to the decision. Some suggest he would not have been a unifying figure for the party still reeling from the political earthquake of the last week. Justice Secretary Michael Gove surprised political pundits with his intention to run for leader of the Conservative party showing a split with fellow Brexiteer Boris Johnson. Picture: AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL.Source:AFPHome Secretary Theresa May. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images.Source:Getty Images
Home Secretary Theresa May is tipped to be the most likely to take the role after officially declaring her intentions to bring a “one nation Conservatism” to the UK.
“Following last week’s referendum, our country needs strong leadership to steer us through this period of economic and political uncertainty,” she said in a colunmn announcing her intention to run in The Times.
“We need a bold, new positive vision for the future of our country,” she wrote.
May kept a relatively low profile throughout the referendum campaign and is seen as a “grown up” by other MPs within the party with the mettle to handle a period of tough negotiation.
Fellow MPs Stephen Crabb, Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom will also stand in the first ballot that will be held on Tuesday.
Boris Johnson’s central position in the campaign would have made it difficult for him to unite the country as a leader. Picture: AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL.Source:AFP
