Inside Politics: Wacky races

Race to replace Boris Johnson underway after PM confirms resignation, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

The sun is shining and temperatures are rising just in time for the weekend. And the race to replace Boris Johnson is set to heat up in the coming days after the PM confirmed his resignation. Which Tory MPs will get scorched in the process, and who will be on a sun lounger in a few weeks’ time? Only time will tell.

Inside the bubble

Parliament is not sitting.

Daily Briefing

Let the games begin

Boris Johnson finally threw in the towel yesterday after two days of absolute chaos at Westminster. In his resignation speech, the prime minister took a parting shot at the MPs who moved him against him, criticising their “eccentric” decision to change leaders with so little daylight, he said, between the Tories and Labour in the polls. “The herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves,” he said.

He made clear that he wanted to stay on and regretted not being able to “see through so many ideas and projects myself”. But the reality is that the Big Dog has no one to blame but himself for his exit. A series of unforced errors over Wallpapergate, Owen Paterson, Partygate and most recently the Pincher affair – not to mention his laissez-faire attitude towards the truth – is what brought him down. For Johnson, it is a remarkable fall from the dizzying heights of the 2019 general election, where he won his party a historic majority of 80 seats.

After the Tories win in the Hartlepool byelection many observers, including this author, bought into the view that he could remain in power for a decade, such was the depth of the electoral coalition that he was able to assemble. Events, since then, however, have overwhelmed the PM and perhaps it was that air of invincibility, following the Hartlepool contest, that further corrupted the mind of a man who already believed that the rules did not apply to him.

We will never know now how Johnson might have fared at a future general action. But all the warning signs suggested that he was on course to lead his party to a wipe out – against a Labour Party that is still not yet firing on all cylinders. As Johnson acknowledged in his speech, “in politics, no one is remotely indispensable,” and the men in grey suits had decided that he was surplus to requirements and an electoral liability, following his disastrous handling of said scandals and a series of crushing byelection defeats.

At the end of a whirlwind week, things feel decidedly calmer this morning. And now that Johnson has confirmed his departure there are two major questions dominating the agenda: how quickly will he leave Downing Street and who will replace him? Sir John Major, the former PM, is among a number of Tories calling for Johnson to leave No 10 immediately over fears that he could use “the power of patronage” to cause chaos over the next three months. Others, however, appear more relaxed about Johnson staying on as a caretaker PM and there is no obvious mechanism to send him packing.

On the second question – the list of runners and riders to replace Johnson is likely to be a long one. Tom Tugendhat, chair of the foreign affairs committee, has joined Suella Braverman, the attorney general, in confirming that he will stand. It is thought that as many as 10 others could join them in what one MP described as the “whacky races”. The 1922 Committee will set out a formal timetable for the contest on Monday. Tory MPs, through a series of ballots, will whittle down the initial list of candidates to a final two. The party membership will then choose the winner. With the entire cabinet having soiled themselves by defending Johnson over the past six months, we could well see an unexpected candidate take the Tory crown.

(PA)

Unworkable

Reports this morning say that the PM is hoping for one last shindig before he leaves and is pushing to have a wedding party at Chequers – his grace and favour country retreat.

Who is paying for it? No 10 was unable to say, of course.

It was the PM’s finances that got him into trouble on Wallpapergate, one of the scandals that lead to his eventual downfall, and we exclusive reveal today the full ins out and outs of the lavish £200,000 renovation of the Downing Street flat.

Today’s cartoon

(Dave Brown)

On the record

Sir John Major, the former PM, says Johnson must go now.

“The proposal for the prime minister to remain in office – for up to three months – having lost the support of his cabinet, his government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable.”

From the Twitterati

Daily Mail deputy politics editor John Stevens on leadership race.

“Liz Truss will pitch herself as the female Boris Johnson in Tory leadership race. A candidate who can win seats both in the South and Red Wall, her supporters claim.”

Essential reading

• Andrew Grice, The Independent: Who will replace Boris Johnson? Expect the unexpected
• Jess Phillips, The Independent: Johnson is the worst PM of my lifetime
• James Forsyth, The Times: Tories can recover if they quash Johnson myths
• Helen Lewis, The Atlantic: Here lies Boris Johnson