Boris Johnson ‘will not’ endorse any candidate running to replace him as UK PM

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said he won’t endorse any of the candidates who are in the race to replace him, saying he doesn’t want to damage their chances.

“I wouldn’t want to damage anybody’s chances by offering my support,” Johnson said in his first media appearance since he said last week he would step down.

“Whoever takes over from me, there is a great agenda to be continued… my job is to continue with the programme on which we were elected. The job of government has got to be carried on while leadership contest takes place,” he said.

The race for a new leader followed one of the most remarkable periods in modern British political history, when more than 50 government ministers quit, denouncing Johnson’s character, integrity and inability to tell the truth.

With many lawmakers unhappy with Johnson remaining in office until a successor is found, the party is likely to accelerate the election process. It could insist that candidates have the backing of around 30 lawmakers to enter the process, before voting begins this week to whittle the number down to two.

Around 200,000 members of the Conservative Party will then choose a winner after weeks of hustings across the country.

Former finance minister Rishi Sunak is the early front runner, but that has prompted his rivals to attack his economic record and vow to cut taxes, even if it pushes government borrowing higher.

One lawmaker confirmed that a dossier criticising Sunak’s record had been circulating on lawmaker WhatsApp groups.