The Race for a New British Prime Minister Begins Again Election - Politics HEAD TOPICS

The Race for a New British Prime Minister Begins Again

10/21/2022 3:44:00 PM

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the man who helped oust him from his job the former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak are seen as two of the top contenders within the governing Conservative Party

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New York Times World

The potential front-runners to succeed Liz Truss as Britain ’s prime minister include the former prime minister, Boris Johnson , and the man who helped oust him from Downing Street a little more than three months ago, the ex-finance minister, Rishi Sunak . Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the man who helped oust him from his job, the former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak , are seen as two of the top contenders within the governing Conservative Party . Penny Mordaunt, now a senior minister, was also seen as a serious potential contender in an election that will be conducted within the governing Conservative Party, which controls the government and can select a prime minister without calling a general election. Less than seven weeks after she took office, Ms. Truss resigned on Thursday — the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.“Rishi is the experienced leader to sort the economy, lead effectively, get us back into political contention and unite the Party and country,” wrote Bim Afolami, a Conservative lawmaker, on Twitter. Read more:
New York Times World » Could former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson return after Liz Truss’ resignation? Rishi Sunak, Former U.K. Treasury Chief, Leads Race to Succeed Liz Truss as Prime Minister What to watch with less than 2 weeks until Israel's elections Critics Rage as Liz Truss Is Entitled to $130K Annual Allowance After 44 Days in Office

Into America

Into America is a show about being Black in America. These stories explore what it means to hold truth to power and this country to its promises. Told by people who have the most at stake. Read more >> Could former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson return after Liz Truss’ resignation?Truss quit on Thursday after a turbulent 45-day term, conceding that she could not deliver on her tax-cutting economic plans. Rishi Sunak, Former U.K. Treasury Chief, Leads Race to Succeed Liz Truss as Prime MinisterFormer U.K. treasury chief Rishi Sunak is leading the field to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister. Other candidates include cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt and possibly ex-leader Boris Johnson . How is he leading? sad No, he isn't. What to watch with less than 2 weeks until Israel's electionsThe polls show former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just shy of a majority. Another Criminal try to get in Office! Head of State my Butt! Critics Rage as Liz Truss Is Entitled to $130K Annual Allowance After 44 Days in Office“She should turn it down,” U.K.’s opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer said during a TV appearance Friday. “I think that’s the right thing to do. She’s done 44 days in office, she’s not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it.” If UK politics are anything like US politics yes she should turn it down because she'll be hired within 48 hours as a political pundit/talking head.😡 She came in, kills the Queen, crashes the economy then fuks off... No she shouldn't have a lifetime supply of free cash after 44 days. Would he?I doubt it very much! With Truss on the way out, who could replace her as PM?Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak , ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are among those considered credible contenders for the top job. Former Prime Minister Boris J… Boris Johnson expected to stand in contest to replace UK PM Truss - TimesFormer British prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to stand in the Conservative Party leadership contest to replace Liz Truss , who said earlier on Thursday she would resign, the Times reported. The UK is FCKED!!! 😂😂😂😂😂 Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the sign of insanity. What a bunch of clowns. Richi Sunak is probably a Pootinist, since he made his billions from business with Russia. Oct.The Associated Press By JILL LAWLESS, The Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Several British lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, were trying to scoop up support on Friday ahead of a short, intense contest to replace Liz Truss as the nation’s leader.Boris Johnson, ousted in August, may join the jostle to lead Conservative Party U.Axios on email Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu. 21, 2022, 8:40 a.m. The Conservative Party is holding a speeded-up race to replace her, which will see a new leader — who will also become prime minister — chosen within a week. ET LONDON — The race to succeed Liz Truss as Britain’s prime minister was already gathering pace on Friday morning, potentially pitting the former prime minister, Boris Johnson, against the man who helped oust him from Downing Street just a little more than three months ago, the former finance minister, Rishi Sunak. Truss faced the lowest approval rating of any British leader in decades after her economic policies caused turmoil in financial markets. Penny Mordaunt, now a senior minister, was also seen as a serious potential contender in an election that will be conducted within the governing Conservative Party, which controls the government and can select a prime minister without calling a general election. His return would be a remarkable resurrection for a politician who is popular and polarizing in equal measure. The next government leader faces a formidable task as Britain heads into an economic slowdown with inflation surging, borrowing costs rising and a winter likely to be dominated by labor strikes and worries about energy supplies. The other side: Yair Lapid, who became caretaker prime minister in July, doesn't actually have to win the election to keep his job — at least for several months. Ahead of what could be a head-on battle against Mr. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) AP after stepping down as prime minister , has not said whether he will run, but his allies in Parliament are working to gather support.K. Johnson, Mr. Sunak’s supporters are presenting him as the safe pair of hands, the man who can restore stability following the crisis precipitated by Ms. Lawmakers will vote to knock out one of those, and will hold an indicative vote on the final two. Truss’s government when it announced unfunded tax cuts last month, sending financial markets into a tailspin. The British pound plummeted and borrowing costs soared. The new leader is due to be selected by Oct. Less than seven weeks after she took office, Ms. Truss resigned on Thursday — the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. Sunak, who came second to Truss in a summertime leadership contest, is favored by some as a safe pair of hands who can steady the struggling economy. This summer, after Mr. Johnson was forced to resign, Mr. But the wild card in the contest is Johnson, who is adored by some in the party as a proven vote-winner with a rare common touch, and reviled by others for the chaos and scandal that marred his three years in office. Sunak ran to succeed him but lost out to Ms. Truss. But some other Conservative legislators said they would leave the party if Johnson — who faces an ongoing probe by a standards committee over whether he lied to Parliament — returned as leader. During that leadership contest he gave a prophetic warning of the risks of her economic program, including the tax cuts that ended up rattling the markets. So the appointment of Mr. “And I think that there would be people, indeed like myself, who would find ourselves in the awful position of having to resign the Conservative whip. Sunak, an experienced former chancellor of the Exchequer, might reassure financial markets enough to give a new government more leeway when it comes up with a new budget plan. “Rishi is the experienced leader to sort the economy, lead effectively, get us back into political contention and unite the Party and country,” wrote Bim Afolami, a Conservative lawmaker, on Twitter. She was elected leader by the Conservatives early last month after a party election to replace Johnson . Image Rishi Sunak, one of the possible candidates for prime minister, meeting with supporters in August in Birmingham, England. Credit. Truss executed a series of U-turns and replaced her Treasury chief but faced rebellion from lawmakers in her party... Under Britain’s parliamentary system there does not need to be one until 2024, five years after the 2019 contest that was won by the Conservatives under Johnson. Susannah Ireland/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images But the prospect of an extraordinary return for Mr. Johnson, who left Downing Street less than two months ago under a sizable cloud, has galvanized the looming contest. Disclaimer. Reinstalling him would be a risk for the Conservative Party because he quit after a succession of ethics scandals and is still being investigated by a parliamentary committee over claims he misled lawmakers about lockdown-busting parties at his Downing Street office and residence. Mr. Johnson has been on a Caribbean vacation. But his father, Stanley Johnson, did little to dispel the impression that his son was preparing a comeback attempt. He told Britain’s ITV television network on Friday: “I think he’s on a plane, as I understand it.” By the time he left office, Mr. Johnson, always a polarizing figure, was deeply unpopular with voters, according to opinion polls. He tarnished his party’s reputation and dozens of members of his government resigned. But since then, the Conservative Party’s support has collapsed. A new opinion poll showed the party plunging to a new low in support of just 14 percent. Mr. Johnson’s supporters argue that because he won a landslide election victory in 2019, he has a mandate from the voters, and his brand of optimism could help rally the Conservatives. If he were to run, he would be seen as the clear favorite as he remains popular among party members who could make the ultimate decision. Image Boris Johnson on his last day in office in September. Credit... Leon Neal/Getty Images It was they who, during the summer, rejected Mr. Sunak in favor of Ms. Truss when the two reached the final stages of the last leadership contest. One of the main reasons for his failure was the perception among party members that Mr. Sunak betrayed Mr. Johnson by resigning from his cabinet, prompting the crisis that destroyed his leadership. Even before formal declarations by any candidates, their allies were canvassing lawmakers, who in some cases offered their public support. Among those urging Mr. Johnson to run are Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, who wrote on Twitter that he was supporting the former prime minister under the hashtag #BORISorBUST. Nadine Dorries, another strong supporter in Parliament, described him as a “known winner.” More centrist lawmakers might also be tempted to support Mr. Johnson because of his history of success in elections before his recent ethics scandals. But his critics say he would struggle to unite his colleagues, and one Conservative lawmaker, Roger Gale, has said he would resign from the party if Mr. Johnson returned. Ms. Mordaunt, who finished third in the summer leadership contest, has good communication skills and has raised her profile in recent weeks, including this week when she appeared in Parliament to defend the government. She is relatively untested at the highest reaches of government. But her supporters argue that she has more experience than former prime ministers like Tony Blair and David Cameron who never held ministerial positions before taking power, having been in opposition. And Ms. Mordaunt might be the best placed of the possible contenders to manage a fractured Conservative Party. “Penny is the best candidate to unite our party and lead our great nation,” and a member of Parliament. Image Britain’s leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, is another potential candidate for prime minister. Credit... Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images None of the likely front-runners have yet declared, but by Monday afternoon, contenders must have nominations from at least 100 of the 357 Conservative lawmakers, a number intended to speed up the contest by limiting potential candidates to a maximum of three. If only one politician passes that threshold, he or she will become prime minister on Monday. If there are two or three, Conservative lawmakers will vote on Monday and the top two will then go for a final decision on Oct. 28 in a vote by about 170,000 Conservative Party members — unless one withdraws voluntarily. Other possible candidates include the home secretary, Suella Braverman, who was fired by Ms. Truss on Wednesday, and Kemi Badenoch, the international trade secretary. However, on the evidence of their performance in the summer leadership contest, neither are seen as likely to reach the threshold of 100 nominations. On Friday, the defense secretary, Ben Wallace, ruled himself out of the contest, and said he was leaning toward support for Mr. Johnson. Advertisement .