Great Britain: Sunak makes candidacy public, no deals with Johnson
Created: 2022-10-23 21:21
By: Tim Vincent Dicke, Daniel Dillmann, Tanja Banner
Who is following Liz Truss?
In the British government, the voices are increasing for an old acquaintance: Boris Johnson.
The news ticker.
Quake on the island:
Liz Truss resigns from the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Two favorites dominate the headlines:
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are traded as potential successors.
Malice from Moscow:
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry makes fun of Liz Truss.
+++ 9:15 p.m .:
Penny Mordaunt also does not want to make a deal with Boris Johnson.
The former prime minister and the current parliamentary secretary spoke on the phone on Sunday afternoon
, according to the British newspapers
Daily Telegraph
and
The Times .
However, Mordaunt refused Johnson's request to withdraw her candidacy in his favour.
If she leaves, Mordaunt is said to have argued that her supporters would defect to the promising Rishi Sunak.
In addition, some of Johnson's supporters defected to her camp, Mordaunt reportedly said.
Meanwhile, there has been some public support for the three candidates or maybe candidates (Johnson has not yet confirmed his candidacy): According to the
BBC
count, 147 Tory MPs now support Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson has 57 public supporters, Penny Mordaunt 24. A total of 228 out of 357 Tory MPs have committed.
Succession to Liz Truss: No deal between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak
Update from Sunday, October 23, 4 p.m.:
After Sunak and Johnson, the two favorites to succeed Liz Truss as Prime Minister, are said to have met on Saturday evening, according to media reports, there was no common solution.
Meanwhile, Sunak has made his candidacy to succeed Liz Truss public.
He tweeted: "Britain is a great country but we are in a serious economic crisis.
That's why I want to lead the Conservative Party and be the next Prime Minister."
According to the BBC census, 225 out of 357 Tory MPs have now pledged their support for a candidate.
Rishi Sunak currently leads the list with 145 pledges of support, Boris Johnson has 57 according to the BBC count (but according to an insider is said to have more than 100 supporters, see update from October 22, 4.40 p.m.), the only woman in the group, Penny Mordaunt, comes to 23 supports.
Mordaunt and Sunak have announced their candidacy so far, but Johnson is still keeping a low profile.
Rishi Sunak has announced his candidacy to succeed Liz Truss.
© Beresford Hodge/dpa
Liz Truss successor: Rishi Sunak leads ahead of Boris Johson
+++ 6.30 p.m .:
The British BBC counts how many Tory politicians have already expressed their support for a candidate to succeed Liz Truss.
191 of 357 Tory MPs have therefore expressed their support - either publicly or to the BBC.
According to the list, Rishi Sunak has 117 supporters, Boris Johnson has 52 and Penny Mordaunt has 22. According to reports from an insider, however, Johnson is said to have already exceeded the threshold of 100 supporters in his party (see update from 4.40 p.m Watch).
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+++ 4:40 p.m .:
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not officially declared his candidacy for the post of Prime Minister yet, but he has canceled his Caribbean vacation to return to London.
Now the BBC and the broadcaster Sky News, citing an insider source close to Johnson, are reporting that Johnson has the threshold of 100 supporters and can start with that.
However, counts by the BBC and other media only see Johnson at around 50 public supporters.
Is Boris Johnson Coming Back?
© Justin Tallis/afp
Nominations can be received until Monday afternoon (October 24) – anyone who has the support of at least 100 parliamentarians can enter the race for the top job.
If more than two people manage to break the threshold, votes within the group should reduce the number of candidates.
Who is following Liz Truss?
The candidates at a glance
Rishi Sunak
(42 years old): former finance minister – so far the only politician with more than 100 supporters (as of October 22, 3 p.m.)
Penny Mordaunt
(49 years old): Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, former Secretary of Defense – so far the only official candidate (as of October 22nd, 3 p.m.)
Kemi Badenoch
(42 years old): Former Minister for Equality
Suella Braverman
(aged 42): former Secretary of the Interior
Boris Johnson
(58 years old): former prime minister – according to an insider, should have the necessary 100 supporters (as of October 22, 4:45 p.m.)
+++ 3.50 p.m .:
According to media reports, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has landed back in Great Britain after his canceled Caribbean vacation.
Party friends said in media reports that Johnson was "ready" to run as a candidate to succeed Liz Truss.
However, Johnson has not yet officially announced his candidacy.
Johnson was only forced to resign in July by a revolt within his own ranks.
Successor to Liz Truss: First politician has needed support
Update from Saturday, October 22, 3:00 p.m .:
Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak was the first politician to gather the necessary hundred Tory supporters who are needed to officially start the race to succeed Liz Truss.
So far, only the leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, has officially declared her candidacy.
If Sunak's opponents don't manage to gather a hundred supporters behind them, he would automatically become party leader and prime minister.
Political website Guido Fawkes came up with 107 supporters for Suna, 71 for Johnson and 25 for Mordaunt as of Saturday morning, according to a tally, afp reports.
Westminster: There is unrest again at the seat of the British government in London after the resignation of Liz Truss.
© NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP
Who is following Liz Truss?
Encouragement for Boris Johnson
+++ 18:26:
The votes for Boris Johnson as the successor to the resigned Prime Minister Liz Truss are increasing in the British government.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: "At the moment I'm leaning towards Boris Johnson." Energy and Economics Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg also spoke out in favor of Johnson as party and government leader, who resigned as prime minister a few months ago because of various scandals.
Wallace pointed out that Johnson led the conservative Tories to an overwhelming election victory in 2019.
However, Wallace added that Johnson still had "some questions to answer" regarding the numerous scandals that had accompanied Johnson's tenure.
Rees-Mogg wrote the slogan "#BorisorBust" (Boris or nothing) on Twitter.
Only Johnson could win the next general election.
Cabinet member Simon Clarke also spoke out in favor of Johnson.
According to reports, the ex-prime minister cut short his Caribbean vacation to be in London on Monday.
Who is following Liz Truss?
First candidacy fixed
+++ 17.06:
Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, has officially announced her candidacy for the post of British Prime Minister.
"I have been heartened by the support of colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest," the politician wrote on Twitter.
She wants to become Prime Minister and Tory leader "to unite our country".
Mordaunt is known to be a good speaker.
In 2019, the Brexiteer became Britain's first female defense secretary.
Some see the 49-year-old Royal Navy reservist as a possible compromise candidate for the divided Tories' presidency.
She was considered one of the early favorites to succeed Johnson, but narrowly lost to Truss in a battle to take part in the final vote.
Critics accuse her of being unsuccessful in her previous government roles.
Who is following Liz Truss?
Johnson already on his way home
+++ 2:55 p.m .:
If you read the names of other politicians from Great Britain, there are two clear favorites to succeed Liz Truss: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
More and more parliamentarians speak out for one or the other.
This is reported by the Reuters news agency.
Accordingly, Will Walden, a former advisor to Johnson, confirmed that he was on his way home from vacation and would "perceive the noises around him".
It is not yet known whether he would be willing to run again.
Boris Johnson: With scandals to the top
View photo gallery
Liz Truss resigns - this is how the search for a successor works
+++ 2.10 p.m .:
After the resignation of Liz Truss, a protracted power struggle over the successor should be prevented.
In the summer, after Boris Johnson's resignation, the Conservatives had long argued about a new leadership.
This time, the Tories appear to have agreed on an expedited process.
A maximum of three candidates can stand for election.
Each candidate must be supported by at least 100 MPs.
This was announced by Tory MP Graham Brady.
Nominations must be submitted by Monday, 2 p.m.
As there are only 357 Conservative MPs in the British House of Commons, a maximum of three people can be nominated.
If MPs cannot agree on any of these three candidates, they must select two.
These two then compete against each other in a runoff among all 170,000 party members.
Before that, however, the members should determine their favorites in a kind of direction selection.
This should be done by Monday evening, 9 p.m.
The loser then has the opportunity to withdraw the candidacy.
Liz Truss: Dispute over successor - Boris Johnson divides the Tories
+++ 11.55 a.m .:
Boris Johnson has not yet announced his candidacy, when his name triggers a dispute with the “Tories”.
For MPs like Crispin Blunt, the former Prime Minister is not the right man to restore the party's image.
The conservative politician told
Sky News
.
His parliamentary colleague Roger Gale even announced that he would resign from the party should Johnson return.
On the other side is the group of supporters of Johnson.
These include former Minister of Education Nadine Dorries.
She described the ex-head of government as a "winner".
Liz Truss resigns - Moscow speaks of "catastrophic illiteracy" in Great Britain
First report from Friday, October 21:
London – With a record, Liz Truss says goodbye to the office of Prime Minister.
45 days - by far the shortest tenure at 10 Downing Street.
While our Western colleagues politely hold back with reactions and comments on the government chaos in Great Britain, this seems to be exactly what politicians from Russia have found.
Marija Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, wrote of a "catastrophic illiteracy" in the short message service Telegram.
"Britain has never seen such disgrace from a female Prime Minister."
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recalled talks he once had with Liz Truss in Moscow shortly before the start of the Ukraine war.
They were like conversations "between deaf and mute people".
Truss confused two regions of Russia with areas in Ukraine and otherwise showed little specialist knowledge of the relationship between the two countries.
This is reported by the Moscow Times
news portal
.
Liz Truss resigns: Here's how the successor is settled
While the Kremlin is gloating over the end of the British government, London is already working on Liz Truss's successor.
This time, too, the conservative party base should decide.
This was announced by the head of the responsible faction committee.
The decision should be made much faster this time than last time.
Until the end of next week.
The nomination should be completed by Monday next week.
The parliamentary group then votes until only two Tories remain.
By Friday (October 28) at the latest, all party members should then use an online survey to determine who will succeed Liz Truss.
Liz Truss resigns: who could take over her legacy
Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, currently Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, are traded the most.
In the last internal party vote, they came in second and third behind Truss.
One possibility is that they have some kind of tripartite alliance with the incumbent Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, who also stood as a candidate in the summer but is now said to have ruled out a bid for Downing Street.
In this scenario, Sunak would become the new Prime Minister and Mordaunt would move to the Foreign Office.
Hunt would remain Secretary of the Treasury.
In addition, Suella Braverman, ex-Home Secretary, could also try her luck.
Last but not least, another protagonist comes into play from afar: Boris Johnson.
The former prime minister is apparently also considering running for office again.
This is reported unanimously by the British newspapers
Times
and
Telegraph
.
Who could succeed Liz Truss?
An overview
Meanwhile, the calls for a new election in Great Britain are getting louder.
The next regular parliamentary election is planned for 2024, the latest date is January 2025. Due to the miserable poll numbers of the Conservatives, an early election is very unlikely.
And so again 0.3 percent of those entitled to vote will probably decide on the next government in Great Britain.
(dil/dpa/afp)