3/30/2022 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson answering questions in front of the Liaison Committee in the House of Commons, London. Picture date: Wednesday March 30, 2022. (Photo by House of Commons/PA Images/Alamy Images/Sipa USA) *** US Rights Only ***
Liaison Committee
LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will not run to lead the Conservative Party, ending intense speculation about a comeback. Johnson, who was ousted in July amid ethics scandals, was widely expected to run to replace Liz Truss, who quit last week. He has spent the weekend trying to gain support from fellow lawmakers, and said he’d amassed more than 100 votes, the threshold to run. But he was far behind former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak in support. Johnson said he had concluded that “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament.” His withdrawal leaves Sunak the strong favorite to be Britain’s next prime minister. He could win the contest as soon as Monday.
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