- No candidates have yet declared their intention to run
- Doubts Johnson can reach the target of 100 lawmaker nominations
- Sunak is the bookmakers’ favourite
- Winner would be fifth British PM in six years
Boris Johnson and his former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, with candidates canvassing support to become Conservative Party leader in a fast-tracked contest.
Truss quit on Thursday after six weeks in power. Those who want to replace her must secure 100 votes from Conservative lawmakers by Monday to run in a contest which the party hopes will reset its ailing fortunes.
With opinion polls suggesting the Conservatives would be all but wiped out if a national election were held now, the race is on to become the fifth British premier in six years.
The winner will be announced on Monday or next Friday.
In what would be an extraordinary comeback, Johnson, who was ousted by his lawmakers in July but remains popular with party members, was being touted alongside Sunak as a likely candidate.
“He can turn it around again. And I’m sure my colleagues hear that message loud and clear,” Conservative lawmaker Paul Bristow told LBC radio. “Boris Johnson can win the next general election.”
But Johnson, who left office comparing himself to a Roman dictator twice brought into power to fight crises, might not reach the 100 vote threshold after his three-year premiership was blighted by scandals and allegations of misconduct.
The Financial Times said a Boris Johnson comeback would be “farcical”.
One of his former advisers, who no longer speaks to Johnson and requested not to be identified, said he was unlikely to reach the target, having alienated dozens of Conservative lawmakers.
Will Walden, who also once worked for Johnson, said the former leader was returning from holiday and taking soundings.
Business minister Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted his support, using the hashtag “#Borisorbust”.
Sunak, the former Goldman Sachs analyst who became finance minister just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe and was runner-up to Truss in the summer’s leadership contest, is the favourite with bookmakers, followed by Johnson.
Third-placed is Penny Mordaunt, a former defence minister popular with party members who came third last time. None have formally declared their candidacy.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")