Boris Johnson’s chances to replace Liz Truss are estimated: “Death to the Conservative Party”

In the UK, a new leader of the Conservatives is to be elected in the coming days, who will replace the disgracefully retired Liz Truss as prime minister. Perhaps the main intrigue today is what are the chances of returning to Downing Street with the former head of the British government, Boris Johnson.

Senior Tory politicians say that the return of Boris Johnson to the post of prime minister will cause additional economic damage to the crisis-ridden country and is fraught with the death of the Conservative Party, writes The Observer.

Johnson’s team claimed Saturday night that he had privately enlisted the support of 100 MPs whose signatures he needed to race to lead the British Conservatives. And this despite the fact that only 55 parliamentarians supported the ex-premier publicly.

As part of the political drama in the race for Liz Truss as prime minister, supporters of the favored former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, tried to garner such overwhelming support from MPs that Johnson would be forced to abandon his ambitions.

Meanwhile, ahead of Monday’s 2:00 p.m. nomination deadline, Johnson and Sunak held talks on Saturday night, The Observer notes. And while neither camp has revealed the content of the politicians’ conversation, it is clear that Johnson was offering a deal that he claims would avoid a split in the Conservative Party.

Former cabinet ministers backing Rishi Sunak said Johnson’s return would also worry financial markets, raising the risk of further sharp rate hikes by the Bank of England within days.

A former cabinet minister said desperate efforts were being made to secure support for Rishi Sunak, not least because he would symbolize stability in financial markets and reduce the chances of further increases in interest rates and mortgages. And the mid-term fiscal plan, due to be announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on October 31, will be vital and should not be compromised by Johnson’s return.

“The question then becomes whether Johnson puts his narcissism ahead of the interests of the country,” a senior source said. “A big win for Sunak will put pressure on Johnson.”

One Conservative MP said he would rethink his tenure if Boris Johnson returned, warning that such an outcome threatened to hasten an early election and could mean “the end of the Conservative Party.”

Several Tories have made it clear that the Privilege Committee’s investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over the Partygate scandal made it impossible for him to be recognized as leader again. Some said they would rather support the election than vote for any attempt to spare Johnson the investigation.

Even considered a close ally of Johnson, former Breckheath minister David Frost called on his party colleagues in the House of Commons to support Rishi Sunak. And former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore, a friend of Johnson, also urged the ex-premier not to run, saying it was too early for him to return to power and that Rishi Sunak was right about the unfunded tax cut.

The speed and unpredictability of the competition for the right to lead the Conservative Party (and hence the UK government) is such that some MPs predicted on Saturday evening that Johnson might even eventually support Sunak. However, The Observer notes, there are fears that the party will slide anyway to war even if Sunak takes control.

On Saturday night, Conservative MPs openly questioned Johnson’s campaign claim that he already has 100 supporters. Conservative MP Robert Sims snidely remarked, “If Boris has 100 signatures, why is his campaign posting pictures of him begging for a vote?”

Meanwhile, the third contender in the Conservative race, Penny Mordaunt, is also vying for support. Her team also believes that she could benefit greatly if Johnson pulled out of the race, as many of his supporters would want to stop Sunak at any cost.

Meanwhile, the latest Opinium poll for the Observer showed Labor at 50% in popularity, 27 points ahead of the Conservatives (who were 3 points behind two weeks ago). The Conservatives are 23%, the Liberal Democrats are 9%, and the Greens are 6%.