The former prime minister had the support of 59 Tory MPs, considerably fewer than the 100 needed to get on the ballot, but decided “now is simply not the right moment”
Boris Johnson’s sister believes it was the correct decision for her brother to withdraw from the Tory leadership election, but she feels “sorry” for him.
Rachel Johnson was doing her LBC show on a Sunday evening when the news broke that Mr. Johnson was abandoning his attempt to return to Downing Street quickly.
The former prime minister had the support of 59 Tory MPs, considerably fewer than the 100 needed to get on the ballot, but decided “now is simply not the right moment”
In her response, Ms. Johnson informed her audience: “My initial instinct is that of a sister, not that of a despondent citizen of this country.
“I feel sorry for him because clearly, that was a difficult note to write, and he wanted to believe that he could once again unite the party and be a successful prime minister.
“Now indicates that he does not believe this is the appropriate time.
“I will admit that I also believed this was not his time. There may come a day when it is his turn again, but I felt it was too soon three months after he left office.
“It appeared too soon. I believe the country shares this sentiment. The party and the nation are as divided as everyone else.”
She stated that she was “pleased with his decision” and that it implies he believed the party was “too split” and that he was “not the one to unite it.”
Boris was “very angry” after she defeated him in ping pong.
Ms. Johnson recounted her brother’s reaction after she defeated him at ping pong while describing him as a winner who enjoys victory.
She stated, “When I say he’s a man who enjoys winning, it’s because I once played ping pong with him.”
When I defeated him in a single rally, he became so angry that he kicked the garage door and shattered a toe.
The departure of Mr. Johnson from the race opens the door for Rishi Sunak.
The former chancellor has significantly more supporters than Penny Mordaunt, who has 25.
Conservative Party members will have the opportunity to vote for their chosen candidate if both candidates receive support from at least 100 MPs by this afternoon.
If Mr. Sunak is the only candidate to attain this threshold, he will become the United Kingdom’s third prime minister since September’s start.
