Boris Johnson pulls out of race to be the next UK’s Prime Minster

Picture Courtesy: AP

UK’s former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pulled out of the contest to become the next Conservative Party leader and therefore the next prime minister, Britain’s PA Media news agency reported Sunday. Although he has support of 100 MPs, making him eligible to run he opted out of the race saying “this would simply not be the right thing to do” as “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament,” according to PA.

This news comes after Britain’s former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak officially entered the race to lead the Conservative Party, his second attempt at the position this year. The former PM is expected to appear in the next few weeks before the Commons Privileges Committee which is investigating whether he misled Parliament over the parties, which could potentially see him suspended or expelled as an MP.

The last time the Conservatives held a leadership race – following the demise of Johnson’s government – Liz Truss came first, Sunak second and Mordaunt third. Liz Truss resigned on Thursday, just six weeks into her disastrous term that pitched Britain deep into political and economic turmoil. Her successor will be the fifth PM to lead the country since it voted for Brexit in 2016.