Boris Johnson Had Enough Nominations to Challenge Rishi Sunak in PM Race: Top UK Tory

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at Gatwick Airport, in London, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA Media)

Boris Johnson had enough nominations from Conservative MPs to mount a challenge to Rishi Sunak in last month’s race to become Tory party leader and UK prime minister, a senior Tory MP has said.

Johnson dramatically pulled out of the contest on Oct. 23, saying he had secured enough nominations but admitting he would not be able to unite the party even if he succeeded to replace Liz Truss as prime minister.

Sunak became prime minister after the only other candidate—Penny Mordaunt—failed to secure the backing of 100 Tory MPs to enter the ballot.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London on Nov. 2, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Speaking to the BBC on Nov. 3, Sir Graham Brady—chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs—said “two candidates” had reached the threshold, and “one of them decided not to then submit his nomination.”

This appears to have confirmed Johnson’s claim that he had got enough backing among Tory MPs, which had been met with some scepticism because only around half that number went public with their support for the former prime minister.

‘Not the Right Time’

Johnson had raced home from a holiday in the Caribbean to try and secure the backing of 100 Tory MPs to enter the ballot to replace Truss, who was forced to resign on Oct. 20, just six weeks after replacing Johnson in 10 Downing Street.

But in a statement issued on Oct. 23, Johnson said he was pulling out despite having enough support among MPs.

Johnson said he had secured 102 nominations, though only 57 Tory MPs have voiced their support for his bid publicly.

He said there was “a very good chance” that he would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members and could be back in Downing Street on Friday.

“But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do,” he said. “You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament.”

He added, “I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”

Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss announces her resignation outside of 10 Downing Street on Oct. 20, 2022. (Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)

Resignation Chats

Brady also spoke about his experiences meeting with Truss and Johnson at separate stages this year to tell them they no longer commanded majority support from their MPs.

He told BBC “North West Tonight” that the chat with Truss was “the easiest and most straightforward” of the three similar conversations he has held with Conservative leaders facing the end of their time in power “because she had come to the same conclusion” as him regarding the untenable status of her premiership.

But Brady said the conversation with Johnson was more difficult, as he was “still determined to go on” the night before he announced his resignation.

“He mulled it over after that, and he called me early the next morning to say that he'd changed his mind,” Brady added.

PA Media contributed to this report.