LONDON — Boris Johnson is the bookies' favorite to succeed Theresa May — but don't bet on it. Previous leadership contests for the U.K.'s Tory party suggest that the title of "front-runner" — the tag currently attached to the former foreign secretary — is more hindrance than help. It draws fire from other contenders and brings disproportionate scrutiny from the media early in the race, as well as from what one veteran described as the "duplicitous electorate" of Tory MPs. "Do the favorites win? History says very rarely," said Steven Norris, a veteran former Conservative MP. Here is POLITICO's guide to the Tory leaders that never were, and the factors that led to their undoing after promising so much at the start of their leadership campaigns. The form book shows that Tory leadership elections often produce shock results. The aborted contest The most recent Tory leadership contest, in 2016, was triggered when David Cameron stood down the morning after the … [Read more...] about Why Boris Johnson is no slam dunk for Tory crown
Boris johnson book
Boris Johnson promises tax cut for 3m if he wins PM race
Boris Johnson has promised to cut income tax for those earning more than £50,000 if he wins the Tory leadership race. Johnson said he would cut taxes for around 3m people by raising the 40p threshold from £50,000 to £80,000 if he becomes prime minister. “We should be raising thresholds of income tax – so that we help the huge numbers that have been captured in the higher rate by fiscal drag,” he wrote in his Telegraph column. The tax cut would cost nearly £10bn a year which he said would be funded partially from the £26bn put aside by the Treasury as a no-deal Brexit fund. Yesterday Johnson threatened to withhold £39bn the UK has agreed to pay the European Union , to use as a bargaining chip, raising eyebrows in the City and sparking anger across the channel. Two of Johnson’s rivals for the leadership have also said they will cut taxes if they win power. Jeremy Hunt, foreign secretary, said he would slash corporation tax from 19.5 … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson promises tax cut for 3m if he wins PM race
Can Boris Johnson’s ‘little otter’ make him woke enough to win?
Lara Prendergast 1 June 2019 9:00 AM 1 June 2019 9:00 AM Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Whatsapp Philip May seems a decent cove. He’s been stoic and loyal but I can’t help hoping that the next prime minister’s spouse will be a bit sparkier — and give us something to talk about other than Brexit. I suspect that it will be a woman. If so, who? We have Lucia, Jeremy Hunt’s wife. He famously could not remember whether she was Japanese or Chinese. Then there’s Dominic Raab’s Brazilian wife, Erika, a marketing executive at Google. We discovered from a newspaper profile that the Raabs have a duck-egg blue and cream kitchen in their Surrey home. Sarah Vine, wife of Michael Gove, is well known for her acidic columns in the Daily Mail. If she makes it to Downing Street, will she be allowed to keep writing them? The bookies’ clear favourite to be prime minister is Boris Johnson, which raises the question of whether … [Read more...] about Can Boris Johnson’s ‘little otter’ make him woke enough to win?
Boris Johnson says it’s time to put Brexit to bed
Boris Johnson yesterday pledged he would take the country out of the EU in October – with or without a deal. Setting out his pitch to be leader just hours after Theresa May announced her departure, the former foreign secretary said it was time to ‘put Brexit to bed’. Mr Johnson is the early favourite to take over, but he faces a mounting ‘Stop Boris’ campaign from MPs who oppose him. At an economic conference in Switzerland, he yesterday ruled out any further delays beyond the end of October, when the latest extension is due to expire. He said: ‘We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal.’ Setting out his pitch to be leader just hours after Theresa May announced her departure, the former foreign secretary said it was time to ‘put Brexit to bed’ RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next And they're off! From Brexiteers to Remainers, who'll be the... Donald Trump's state visit to Britain will coincide with... Share … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson says it’s time to put Brexit to bed
The case against Boris Johnson
Bruce Anderson 21 May 2019 12:06 PM 21 May 2019 12:06 PM Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email Whatsapp In the old days, if the Tory party was in trouble, old hands who had seen it all before would attempt to steady the buffs with a traditional rallying-cry: ‘pro bono publico – no bloody panico.’ Today, that message is needed as never before, but would the MPs take any notice? In the nineteenth century, an Irish Parliamentarian lamented that: ‘Ireland’s cup of troubles is overflowing – and it is not yet full.’ For Ireland, read the Tory party. It seems quite likely that on Thursday, the Tories will come fifth in the Euro elections, behind the Brexit Party, Labour, the Liberals and the Greens, struggling to get into double figures in percentage terms. That would be the worst result for either of the two leading parties in British political history. In the aftermath, there will be a lot of panic. A lot of MPs will be … [Read more...] about The case against Boris Johnson