Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 05, 2025

Now there are 8: UK leader field slims as nominations close, most of them just as worse and liers as boris Jhonson was anyway

Now there are 8: UK leader field slims as nominations close, most of them just as worse and liers as boris Jhonson was anyway

Nominations in the race to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson closed on Tuesday, with eight Conservative lawmakers securing enough support from their colleagues to make the first ballot.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, whose resignation last week helped bring Johnson down, was a surprise casualty, failing to make the cut.

Candidates needed backing from at least 20 fellow legislators to be on the ballot for run-off votes, which will start Wednesday.

The successful contenders include former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat. Also on the ballot are Treasury chief Nadhim Zahawi, ex-Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch and former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Javid quit the race on Tuesday after failing to get the 20 supporters. He said serving in government had been “a true privilege.”

Two other candidates, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and lawmaker Rehman Chisti, also pulled out after struggling to gather support.

The candidates are jostling to replace Johnson, who quit as Conservative leader last week amid a party revolt triggered by months of ethics scandals. He will remain in office as a caretaker prime minister until his replacement as party chief is chosen. The winner of that contest will automatically become prime minister, without the need for a national election.

The new leader will be chosen in a two-stage election, in which the 358 Conservative lawmakers reduce the race to two candidates through a series of elimination votes. The final pair will be put to a ballot of party members across the country.

The first round of voting was scheduled for Wednesday, with candidates who fail to get at least 30 votes eliminated. Further rounds will take place Thursday and, if needed, next week.

The party aims to complete the parliamentary stage of the election before lawmakers break for the summer on July 21. The two finalists would spend the rest of the summer campaigning around the country.

The new leader is due to be announced when the House of Commons returns on Sept. 5.

Many Conservatives are wary of leaving Johnson in office for too long, concerned a lame-duck leader is the last thing Britain needs with war raging in Ukraine, food and energy price increases driving inflation to levels not seen in decades, and growing labor unrest.

Some also worry Johnson — brought down by scandals over money, rule-breaking and his handling of sexual misconduct allegations against lawmakers — could do mischief during his final months in office.

The opposition Labour Party called for the House of Commons to hold a no-confidence vote in Johnson this week, but the government refused to allow it, saying it was not “a valuable use of parliamentary time” because a contest to replace the prime minister already was underway.

Labour accused the government of “running scared.”

In the wide-open leadership contest, contenders are striving to set themselves apart from the perceived front-runner, former Treasury secretary Sunak, who already has the backing of more than three dozen lawmakers.

Many have repudiated the tax increases Sunak introduced to shore up U.K. finances battered by the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit — a 1.25% income-tax rise for millions of workers, and an increase in corporation tax next year from 19% to 25%. Most candidates say they will scrap one or both.

Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, both committed Brexit supporters and Johnson allies, threw their support behind Truss as a “stop Sunak” candidate for the party’s right wing.

“Liz was always opposed to Rishi’s higher taxes.” Rees-Mogg said. “She’s a proper euroskeptic, she’ll deliver for the voters and she believes in low taxation.”

Sunak, whose resignation a week ago helped topple Johnson, has cast himself as the candidate of fiscal probity. Launching his campaign for Tory leader Tuesday, Sunak said the country needed “honesty and responsibility, not fairytales” to get through tough economic times.

“It is not credible to promise lots more spending and low taxes,” he said.

Sunak also called for an end to the personal attacks already flying around in the contest — many of them aimed at him. He said he would not “demonize” Johnson, whom he called a “remarkable” politician.

“I will not engage in the negativity you have seen and read in the media. If others wish to do that, then let them,” he said. “That is not who we are. We can be better than that.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
Hungary Partners with China to Boost Electric Vehicle Production
‘Vibe Coding’ Emerges as the New DIY Trend
AI Pioneer Yoshua Bengio Warns Models Can Deceive Users
Big Four Firms Rush to Create AI Auditing Systems
Musk’s xAI Pursues $113 Billion Valuation in New Share Sale
Walmart Increases Revenue Despite Shrinking Workforce
Hims & Hers Plans UK and EU Launch of Replica Obesity Drugs
Toyota to Acquire Supplier in $33 Billion Buyout
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
×