Boris Johnson will not stand for the Tory leadership race, it has been confirmed.
The former prime minister has ruled himself out of the running to be Conservative leader for the second time, saying it would not be “the right thing to do”.
It comes after Johnson’s campaign team told supporters they had secured the nominations needed from MPs for him to get on the ballot paper in the race for No 10.
However, the number of MPs publicly declaring for him was still well below the 100 needed.
On Sunday evening Johnson said: “I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow.
“There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed 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. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.”
He said the decision was due to the failure to reach a deal with other candidates Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt.
He said: “I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds.”
He added: “I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.”
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