CNN reports:
Boris Johnson was on Sunday battling to win enough support to make what would be a stunning comeback as Britain’s prime minister, as senior Conservative politicians declared their support for former finance minister Rishi Sunak.
The two men have become the early favorites to replace Liz Truss, who announced her resignation Thursday just six weeks into a term that threw Britain into political and economic turmoil.
Sunak declared on Sunday morning that he would be standing in the contest. The former chancellor of the exchequer has already reached the 100-nomination threshold to make it to the voting stage.
The Telegraph reports:
For 60 minutes, the two men talked face-to-face with no one else in the room. One was the former chancellor whose resignation ultimately felled Boris Johnson.
The other, an ousted prime minister whose backers had blocked Rishi Sunak’s path to power. Barely a word had been passed between Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson since their relationship imploded in July.
Yet on Saturday night, the two biggest names in Tory politics agreed to down tools and meet, with the keys to Number 10 the prize on the table. The full contents of that discussion are secret even to many of both men’s most prominent backers.
There are 150 Tory MPs left who haven’t declared publicly which candidate they’ll back.
Sunak 123
Johnson 57
Mordaunt 24Sunak way ahead. Johnson team claim 16 more have pledged their support in private. Not looking good for Mordaunt before Monday.https://t.co/n9Ccl5RaKb
— Adam Solomons (@adamsolomons5) October 22, 2022