Boris Johnson Withdraws From Britain's Prime Minister Candidate

Boris Johnson. (Wikimedia Commons/UK Prime Minister's Office)

JAKARTA - Former prime minister Boris Johnson withdrew from the contest to become Britain's next leader on Sunday, saying he had enough support from lawmakers to advance to the next stage, but far less than former finance minister Rishi Sunak was the strong candidate.

"There is a very good chance that I will succeed in an election with Conservative Party members, and that I may indeed return to Downing Street on Friday," Johnson said in a statement.

"But in recent days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this is not the right thing to do. You cannot govern effectively unless you have a unified party in parliament."

Johnson, who has never formally announced his candidacy for a return to Downing Street, has spent the weekend trying to persuade Conservative lawmakers to back him, saying on Sunday he had the backing of 102 of them.

He needs the support of 100 people on Monday to move on to the next stage, which will see him face off against Rishi Sunak in a vote by 170,000 Conservative Party members.

Meanwhile, Sunak, whose resignation as finance minister in July helped hasten Johnson's downfall, has reached the threshold of 100 lawmakers needed to advance to the next stage, securing the 142 supporters declared on Sunday, according to Sky News.

He will be appointed leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister on Monday unless candidate Penny Mordaunt reaches the 100-supporter threshold to force a second round of elections by party members. He had 24 supporters declared on Sunday.