The UK’s outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to torpedo former Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s bid to succeed BoJo, The Guardian has cited unnamed senior Tory sources as claiming.
The sources argued that Johnson had appointed “unsuitable” MPs to middle-ranking and junior government posts when he knew he was on his way out of the office in order “to cause maximum problems for his successor”.
“Those appointments were the most appalling thing I have seen in politics. It was obviously a move to sabotage his successor’s first weeks in office,” one of the insiders said.
Another source claimed that Johnson was so incensed at the way he had been ousted that he was now intent on taking revenge on those he saw as responsible, and on trying to influence events wherever possible from the outside.
“This is not an administration that is going to go quietly. There is a lot of anger about how this all happened. It is clear that much of it will now focus on Rishi. It is all very Trumpian,” the source pointed out.
Officials Launch Bids to Succeed BoJo as UK PM
The insiders’ claims come after The Telegraph reported that former British health and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, who lost to Johnson in 2019, as well as Sajid Javid, another former health secretary, who stepped down along with Sunak earlier this week, have announced that they are joining the race to succeed BoJo as UK prime minister.
Both Hunt, 55, and Javid, 52, revealed their intention to lead the Conservative Party and become the country's prime minister in separate interviews with The Telegraph on Saturday, saying that they would cut the corporation tax from its current 25% to 15% if they were to become PM.
This was preceded by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the new Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, all entering the leadership contest, alongside former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Attorney General Suella Braverman, ex-Minister of State for Equalities Kemi Badenoch and the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat.
Supporters of Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt are urging her to declare her leadership bid, while Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced he would not stand to be the next leader, stressing that he wants to focus on his current job and keeping the country safe.
As for Sunak, he reportedly urged Javid to step aside from the race and instead join the ex-Chancellor’s campaign. The Times reported that Sunak’s allies contacted Javid’s friends, arguing that they are competing for the same votes. The Times also reported that former Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary George Eustice and Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland plan to support Sunak in the next few days.
Sunak officially declared his intention to stand as the next leader of the Tories and the UK’s prime minister on Friday, vowing in a slick video that his campaign would be based on “patriotism, fairness and hard work”. The ex-Chancellor and Javid are currently seen as favorites in the leadership contest.
Two-Stage Process to Pick Johnson's Successor
Johnson announced on Thursday that he would step down as party leader, adding that he plans to remain in office as prime minister until a successor is chosen, possibly until the fall. If such a scenario fails, a caretaker prime minister could be installed while the party leadership election process takes place.
BoJo had been grappling with calls to step down amid a series of scandals, including a row related to No 10’s COVID lockdown-breaking parties throughout 2020 and 2021. Earlier this week, another scandal with the appointment of Christopher Pincher, who was vetted by Johnson as deputy chief whip of the Conservatives despite accusations of sexual misconduct, led to a string of resignations and eventually forced the PM to resign.
The timetable to nominate candidates to replace Johnson is due to be set out next week, with senior Tory officials hoping to conclude the two-stage contest ahead of the Conservative party’s annual conference slated for October.
During the first stage, the 358 Conservative members of parliament are expected to whittle the nominees down to two by holding successive rounds of voting in which the bottom candidate is eliminated each time. Bloomberg news agency reported that the process of selecting the final two candidates is due to be completed by July 21 because that is when the MPs go on their summer recess.
The second stage will see tens of thousands of grassroots party members choose the winner in a secret ballot, a process that is expected to be wrapped up by September.