Anyone but Rishi Sunak: Boris Johnson wants to see these leaders in UK PM race
Premium- Boris Johnson wants to see his foreign secretary Liz Truss and minister of state for trade Penny Mordaunt as finalists in the race, as per reports
Even though Rishi Sunak seems to be the favourite in the British prime ministerial race, he couldn't manage to get the right recognition from Boris Johnson. In fact, Johnson, who was forced to resign, asked those who were knocked out of the PM race to ‘back anyone but Rishi Sunak,’ as per a report by UK news agency The Times.
The report also stated that Johnson wants to see his foreign secretary Liz Truss and minister of state for trade Penny Mordaunt as finalists in the race.
Johnson and his aides have denied that any such comments were made but people familiar with the developments confirmed it along with the fact that Johnson is backing Liz Truss to be the next UK prime minister.
“The whole No 10 team hates Rishi. It’s personal. It’s vitriolic. They don’t blame Saj (Sajid Javid) for bringing him down. They blame Rishi. They think he was planning this for months," the person familiar with the developments told the news agency.
Meanwhile, Johnson has refused to comment or participate publicly in discussions regarding the leadership race for the head of the Conservative Party as well as the race for the No. 10 Downing Street.
Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in second round voting
Former finance minister Rishi Sunak has tightened his grips on the race to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and British prime minister by winning 101 votes in the latest round of voting on Thursday.
There are now five candidates left in the Tory leadership contest after Suella Braverman, the Indian-origin Attorney General in the fray, was knocked off the shortlist with the least votes at 27.
“I'm convinced that I'm the best person to beat [Opposition Labour leader] Keir Starmer and secure that election victory," Sunak, 42, said in an interview earlier.
There’s now a three-day pause in the increasingly fractious contest, allowing MPs to privately plot their next move to ensure their favored candidate advances next week. A series of TV debates in the coming days will also allow the contenders to raise their profiles.
The new Britain prime minister will be announced on 5 September.
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