Boris Johnson has withdrawn from the race to lead the UK's ruling Conservative Party and the nation, ending a bid to replace Liz Truss as prime minister.
Johnson, who left office last month after a series of scandals rocked his position as prime minister, has said in a statement that "it simply would not be the right thing to do" to run.
"You cannot govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament," Johnson wrote in a statement on Sunday.
As he has stated, he had the support of 102 Tory deputies, two more than necessary to access these first, whose deadline to do so was this Monday at 2:00 p.m. local time.
"In recent days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have suggested that I should once again challenge for the leadership of the Conservative Party, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in Parliament," Johnson said in his letter.
The politician, who had resigned last July, has admitted that he was attracted to return to power by the electoral victory that his formation obtained in the general elections of 2019, but has stressed that the Government must now focus on the economic problems that families face in the UK.
Admitting that he was in a good position to return to power, in recent days "I came to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You cannot govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament."
Johnson has also indicated that he had contacted the other two candidates, former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and the leader of the Conservatives in the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, because he hoped to unite them in the national interest, but "unfortunately We haven't been able to find a way to do it."
"So I'm afraid it's best that I don't let my nomination go ahead and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I think I have a lot to offer but I'm afraid it's just not the right time." text.
According to media estimates, Sunak has 144 supports while Mordaunt has 24.
The so-called 1922 Committee, which brings together deputies without ministerial positions, has organized this process after Liz Truss resigned on Thursday as conservative leader and prime minister as a result of the controversy surrounding her fiscal program -with tax cuts-, which caused turbulence in the financial markets.
Johnson had resigned last July after the resignation of numerous members of his Executive as a result of the controversy over the parties at the official Downing Street residence during the pandemic.
Rishi Sunak himself has spoken out on Twitter about Boris Johnson's refusal to run for office, stating that the former Prime Minister "led our country through some of the most difficult challenges we have ever faced, and then faced Putin and his barbaric war in the Ukraine". "We will always be grateful to him," he wrote.
"Although he has decided not to run for prime minister again, I really hope he will continue to contribute to public life at home and abroad," Rishi Sunak concluded on Sunday night.
