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A GROUP OF Conservative MPs have banded together to “Stop Boris” as former London mayor Boris Johnson has become the favourite to become the Prime Minister of the UK.
Prime Minister David Cameron announced his intention to step down last week in the wake of the Brexit vote result.
Johnson, a leader of the Leave campaign, is said to have 100 MPs backing his bid to replace David Cameron as leader of the country. The race for the leadership of the party officially opens today.
However, that has mobilised no fewer than seven other candidates: Home Secretary Theresa May is the front-runner according to a YouGov poll which puts her on 31% support of Conservative voters to Johnson’s 24%. Despite that poll, Johnson remains the favourite to win the contest, with bookies offering him at 5/4. May is coming in at 11/8.
May has around 80 backers, while Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb has 20 MPs in his corner. Crabb is running alongside Business Secretary Sajid Javid as part of a Prime Minister-Chancellor “dream ticket”.
Three other members of government are also expected to run; Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who resigned after it emerged he had allowed a friend sit in on 57% of his MoD meetings, is also expected to throw his hat in the ring.
Follow the money
Sky News / TwitterTHE SUN FRONT PAGE: "It's Boris day" #skypapers pic.twitter.com/BEHj4lqiqz
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 28, 2016
The Telegraph reports that Johnson has the backing of key Conservative donors, which will help him once the campaign gets under way.
Nominations close at noon tomorrow, and the new leader is expected to be announced on 9 September.
Pro-EU finance minister George Osborne, long seen as a possible Cameron successor, has ruled himself out.
If more than two candidates stand, Tory MPs will vote next week to whittle down the field to two nominees, before the new leader is chosen by a postal ballot of party members, who currently number around 150,000.
Critics have questioned whether the Leave camp – and Johnson in particular – has any idea how to manage the unprecedented situation left by last week’s vote.
“He has still to offer anything like a concrete plan on how he would negotiate the post-Brexit future,” wrote former BBC political editor Nick Robinson.
Labour
Meanwhile, across the aisle, Jeremy Corbyn has defiantly insisted he will not stand down, despite losing a confidence motion by 172 MPs to 40.
I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning,” he said in a statement.
“Today’s vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy,” he added.
In the sign of the depth of the crisis, the Scottish National Party, which has 54 seats in the House of Commons to Labour’s 229, announced it would make a bid to take over as the official opposition party in parliament.
“The official opposition must be ‘prepared to assume office’. Labour can’t anymore,” wrote SNP lawmaker Peter Wishart on Twitter, citing parliamentary practice.
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Will it have it’s own version of Porn Hub on it.
Would give a new meaning to a facial.
Can’t have the natives going all “Libyan”.
Here’s a glimpse at what the west are more than likely going to destroy!
nice montage..any pictures of smiling innocent Israeli children to balance it..you know the ones who regularly have to have their classes in bomb shelters because of Hamas rockets..Hamas being funded by Iran..
I’m sure I could find a video of a few displaced and persecuted palistinians to unbalance it even more. Or maybe more than a few children from Libya who are unable to smile because they have been killed by NATO bombs!
the only people to blame for the contunued suffering of the palestinians are Hamas..recognise state of Israel..renounce violence and their aim to destroy Israel and there will be peace…palestinian leaders have form in this regard..offered palestinian state by Nevile Chamberlain in return for sypport against Nazi Germany..Grand Mufti of Jerusalem chose to side with Hitler..tying up much needed troops…UN in 1947 decided on 2 state silution with Jerusalem aa open city..palestinians rejected same…oh and havent Jordan Syrua Egypt and Lebanon been so good to the Palestinians…your blinkered viewpoint does you no good Dec..
And you really believe that Israel is an open city? Of course you do! Truth of the matter here is that thousands of innocent Iranians are more than likely going to die and very soon by the looks of it to keep us safe from the so called “evil Islamists” when it’s really to do with keeping the oil flowing and Americans keeping their grip on the region! I know that the palestinians sought help from nazi Germany to solve the “Jewish problem” what happened then was disgusting! What the west are doing is almost as bad! installing democracies with bombs and the killing of innocents is wrong!!! End of!
israel is a fully functioning democracy..with attendant problems of coalition govt. she is committed to two state solution but any settlement must gaurantee her security. fatah under arafat were ready to deal with barak..but hardliners insisted on east jerusalem opening door for the war criminal sharon to take power in israel. netanyahu will deal but it must be on basis of security for israel..can you not grasp that..just as consent was paramount to irish peace process. hamas dont care for innocents..apart from attacking only civilian targets in israel..they do so from behind human shields in gaza..knowing those innocents are placed in peril because of their actions. where is your proof USA and others want war with iran..its unlikely to happen…dorsnt suit US they just got troops home from.iraq ffs…get real
You’re obviously someone who thinks it’s acceptable to bomb innocent people once it’s not people from a democratised nation? Or more to the point a non Islamic nation!
no i dont but you appear willing to ignore terrorist atrocities..suicide bombings of cafes busses almost daily rocket attacks..but in your warped bigoted view thats ok coz its tha nasty israelis thats being attacked…grow up
You really believe that don’t you? I love to hear of innocent people getting killed needlessly!! FFS! If you read what I had previously had wrote you would have see that I am against INNOCENT people being killed needlessly! I don’t care if you are a Jew, Arab, or from bloody Mars ! This is the point I am trying to make! Libya is still in an awful state, killings happening every day but it’s ok because the west have control of the country! Open your eyes!
I suppose you agree with the suicide bombers in Syria? Or do you agree with the Syrian authorities cracking down on the “Protesters”?
human nature will never allow humans to live in perpetual peace..greed power..thos reasons for conflict are as old as humanity. the first casualty of war is truth and since the expansion of the battlefield tge second is innocent civilians. whats your answer if attacked just say stop…ask your attacker to think of the consequnces…life is not fair..i hate and abhor needless deaths both of civilians and military personnel. if you ever wore a uniform or knew soldiers youd know that those that hate war most are those called upon to fight it. as for assad and syria…those alleged al qeeda suicide bombers are widely believed to be the work of the syriab securiy forces…interesting that they coincide with arab league monitors. i abhor assad and all he stands for and i have been consistent on this site..amazing that the israel haters are also consistently QUIET on this topic
That’s what we are being told… But is it really true? I find it hard to believe! Either way, the region is screwed and I’ll be very surprised if iran isn’t hit massively by NATO, the US and iIraeli armies by the end of the year! I hope I’m wrong!
yet some contributors on here castigate me for saying Iran is nothing more than a theocratic dictatorship behind a mask of democracy…more proof here…dangerous administration
Ir@n
From Iran’s point of view it is logical, as free speech is always ,counterproductive to tyrannical regiemes. The internet is an enemy of every tyrant.
It’s a sad state if affairs if you cannott voice your opinion.
Sounds like they are going the way of North Korea to some extent.
Complete better control of all media by every possible outlet!
The Iranian gov. really need to stop giving the US popaganda material
Control freaks terrified of reality.
have your say