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The backpack still on his back: Boris Johnson on his return to London
Photo:
Gareth Fuller / dpa
Boris Johnson, Penny Mordaunt or Rishi Sunak?
The race for 10 Downing Street, the seat of the British Prime Minister or British Prime Minister is on.
Yet again.
And even a Caribbean vacation was canceled for this.
This Saturday, ex-Prime Minister Johnson hurried back to London from a family vacation in the Dominican Republic, driven by the Tories' plan to push through the new party presidency in a hurry.
The completely unfortunate term of office of Liz Truss should not last a week longer.
In the afternoon it was said that Johnson had the 100 supporters needed to start the internal party competition.
Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who initiated the revolt against Johnson and thus his resignation in the summer, is also ready, but was then unable to assert himself against Liz Truss in the follow-up race.
And of all things, Johnson and Sunak, who has since had the reputation of a Brutus and probably therefore lost to Truss in the summer, are now considered favorites to succeed Johnson.
politics bizarre.
Public supporters of the Bring Back Boris project include some cabinet members such as Brexit hardliner Jacob Rees-Mogg.
She calculated that only Johnson, as a gifted campaigner, could free the conservative party from the quagmire of catastrophic poll numbers.
What if the party base decides?
And the chances are not bad at all.
This is due to the decision-making process: if the MPs do not agree on a candidate among themselves, the party base votes.
Sunak is considered a favorite by the conservative parliamentarians, also because he precisely predicted the Truss government's tax debacle.
At the party base, however, it is the other way around.
It can at least be doubted that the two camps will agree on one of the two candidates.
Nevertheless, a start should be made on Saturday: As the “Sunday Times” reports, Sunak and Johnson might want to meet on Saturday evening.
Should they disagree, Penny Mordaunt could come into play.
The former Secretary of Defense, who was ousted by Johnson, is considered a good speaker who maintains contacts in all Tory camps.
It could be the compromise solution, should one be needed.
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Penny Mordaunt is considered a possible compromise solution
Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / REUTERS
So far, Mordaunt is the only one who has officially declared her candidacy.
The Tories are in a hurry, and a decision should be made by Friday.
This is probably also due to the fact that the pressure is increasing, the conservatives are lagging behind in the polls.
And that's putting it mildly.
You could also say: You don't even see the taillights of the Labor Party anymore.
If there were a general election today, the Tories would be almost wiped out.
In recent polls, the ruling party trailed Labor by almost 40 percentage points.
However, there will probably not be a new election as requested by the opposition.
The Tories would have to apply for it themselves.
The Risk Johnson
TV presenter Andrew Neil wrote in the Daily Mail that it was time the Tories put the interests of the country before those of their party.
"Now the idea of Johnson being viewed by some Tories as a serious alternative just goes to show how insane much of the party is."
Especially since the party would take a big risk with Johnson.
The ex-government worries about his numerous scandals.
An investigation is currently underway into whether Johnson lied to Parliament in the so-called Partygate affair.
If the committee responsible comes to this conclusion, Johnson could even lose his mandate as a member of parliament.
And a British Prime Minister has to be a Member of Parliament.
Liz Truss was mocked in the House of Commons during the week by opposition leader Keir Starmer for not holding out until Christmas.
The first political commentators in London predict that this could also apply to Johnson if he wins the race.
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