Boris Johnson’s spokesperson denied rumors that he would resign as prime minister on Monday in order to vie for the position of head of the Conservative Party.
On Thursday, Mr. Johnson announced his resignation as the head of the Conservative Party, but he insisted he would stay in that position until a replacement was chosen.
On Thursday, he declared: “It is now evident that the parliamentary Conservative Party wants a new prime minister and a new leader of that party.
And I concur with Sir Graham Brady, the head of our backbench MPs, that the selection process for the new leader should start right away, with a timeline to be revealed the following week.
“And I’ve nominated a Cabinet today to function as I shall until a new leader is in place,” the speaker continued.
But once rumors that Mr. Johnson might be considering a second run surfaced, Number 10 was forced to make it clear that he would not be participating in the election.
The Spectator journalist Petronella Wyatt, who had an affair with Mr. Johnson while they were both employed there, was one of those who broke the story about the PM allegedly trying to stay in Downing Street.
According to a source at Number 10, Boris Johnson plans to resign as prime minister on Monday in order to run for the Tory party’s leadership, she claimed.
Ms. Wyatt had declared earlier this week that Mr. Johnson would not quit before he announced his resignation.
She disclosed that last night, a former Tory minister called her and predicted that Boris will be gone before the end of the week.
However, she remarked, “Knowing Boris as I do, I could not concur. Boris’s fixation with his own divine right will split his party and have unintended consequences for the nation.
After incoming Education Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News that “there is no such thing as a caretaker Prime Minister,” Number 10 insisted that the PM was unquestionably resigning.
When asked what he was leaving, Mr. Cleverly responded, “He is leaving his position as Prime Minister and leader of the party until a replacement has been named.”
What I’m saying is that he has issued an announcement, which you can read,’ Mr. Cleverly responded when presenter Kay Burley queried whether it meant the PM “hasn’t yet resigned” from his position.
Four Conservative MPs have so far declared their intention to take Mr. Johnson’s place.
Rishi Sunak, a former chancellor, has taken the lead after kicking off his campaign with a polished video yesterday.
Along with Mr. Sunak, backbencher MP Tom Tugendhat, former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, and attorney general Suella Braverman have also declared candidacies.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, had been widely expected to run for office himself, but he recently stated that he will not be running.
On Twitter, Mr. Wallace declared: “After careful deliberation and discussion with colleagues and family, I have decided not to enter the race for Conservative Party leadership.”
Although he acknowledged that it had not been a “easy” decision, he insisted that his primary concern is “keeping this magnificent country safe” in his capacity as Defence Secretary.
Other potential contenders, like as former Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, have not yet made their intentions known.
Under Theresa May and David Cameron, Jeremy Hunt served as the foreign and health secretaries.
He has declined to say whether he will run for office again.