Boris Johnson Says He Isn’t Seeking to Replace British Prime Minister David Cameron
Theresa May and Michael Gove vie for leadership of Conservative Party
LONDON—The race for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and therefore the role of prime minister, took a sharp and unexpected turn Thursday, as former London Mayor Boris Johnson said he wouldn’t run.
The move came after Justice Secretary Michael Gove—who with Mr. Johnson led the successful campaign for Britain to exit the European Union— made a surprise bid for the top job himself. Home Secretary Theresa May, who had backed staying in the bloc, also announced her candidacy.
Mr. Gove had been due to help shepherd Mr. Johnson’s leadership bid, but said that events since last Thursday’s referendum “have weighed heavily with me” and he had lost confidence in Mr. Johnson.
“I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead,” Mr. Gove said.
The referendum results plunged the country into uncertainty, prompting Prime Minister David Cameron to resign and opening up a political vacuum. The unexpected turn a week later represents another fracture in a Conservative Party that was already deeply divided over the referendum campaign, marking a break between two leaders on the Leave side.
The charismatic Mr. Johnson had been seen as having a strong claim to the job, and Mr. Gove had said previously that he didn't want to be prime minister. Before his announcement, Mr. Johnson had been largely quiet in the week since the vote.
Mr. Johnson had been expected to announce his bid to lead the Conservatives, but said Thursday that “having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances of Parliament I have concluded that person cannot be me.”
The deepening divide raises further questions about who will lead Britain at a time when it has reshaped its future by voting to leave the EU.
Mr. Cameron’s successor will have to steer Britain through negotiations to end it 43-year-old membership in the bloc and bring together a country split by the vote and a large cultural divide. They also will need to navigate a slowing U.K. economy.
Ms. May, seen as a key rival to Mr. Johnson, promised to heal the nation’s divisions, saying she could provide the strong leadership the country needed as it determines its future relationship with the EU.
“Nobody should fool themselves that this process will be brief or straightforward,” said Ms. May. “It is going to require significant expertise and a consistent approach.”
A survey by polling firm YouGov PLC conducted Sunday and Monday suggested Ms. May was slightly more popular among the general public than Mr. Johnson. However, some Conservative lawmakers have said that her support of Mr. Cameron’s position of remaining in the EU would make it hard for her to be the prime minister to negotiate Britain’s exit.
In the party leadership contest, Conservative lawmakers will hold a series of ballots until the list is whittled down to two candidates. The contest is then opened up to the party’s membership of some 150,000 people. Only those who have been members for at least three months can vote.
The Conservative Party says it intends to announce the new prime minister on Sept. 9.
The political fallout from the EU referendum is also roiling the main opposition Labour Party. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn lost a symbolic vote of confidence among the party’s lawmakers on Tuesday by 172 votes to 40, ramping up pressure on him to resign.