Is Boris Johnson standing to be Prime Minister? Has he announced his Tory leadership bid - candidates

Boris Johnson will not be making a bid to return to Number 10, he has confirmed.

The Prime Minister has resigned after just 44 days in office. Liz Truss became the shortest-serving PM after stepping down on Thursday (20 October). She had been in office for just six weeks.

But who is in the frame to replace her in Number 10?

Has Boris Johnson announced his bid to replace Truss?

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who only left Number 10 at the start of September after resigning in July, was heavily rumoured to be making a bid to take back his role as leader of the Conservative Party.

A number of backers have come out and publically supported the ex-PM. These include Jacob Rees-Mogg and former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who resigned from Johnson’s cabinet in July after just 48 hours.

However on Sunday (23 October) night, Johnson announced he would not be standing.

In a statement he 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.”

Johnson said that due to the failure to reach a deal with Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, “I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds”.

“I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time,” the former prime minister said.

Who is standing to replace Truss as PM?

The leadership election will take place over the next week,. The new leader is expected to be in place by 28 October, Sir Graham Brady said on Thursday.

Penny Mordaunt was the first Tory MP to announce a leadership bid. She confirmed she would be campaigning to become the next Prime Minister on Friday (21 October).

She tweeted: “I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest. I’m running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister - to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE.”

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak officially launched his campaign on Sunday (23 October). In a post on social media, the current frontrunner, said he wanted to “fix our economy”.

He said in a statement: “I served as your chancellor, helping to steer our economy through the toughest of times. The challenges we face now are even greater.

“But the opportunities, if we make the right choice, are phenomenal. I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto.

“There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done.”

Who was previously rumoured to be standing?

Another name that was rumoured was Kemi Badenoch, who stood in the summer, with the Telegraph reporting that she is considering another bid to become Conservative leader. Suella Braverman, who resigned as home secretary on Wednesday, was expected to run again according to The Guardian.

Both have since backed Sunak in the leadership election.

Who is not standing to replace Liz Truss?

Allies of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he would not be standing for the Tory leadership. He became the Chancellor of the Exchequer last week following the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng. Hunt ran against Boris Johnson in 2019.

Sources close to Michael Gove have also ruled out a leadership bid, the Mirror reports. Gove has previously stood for Conservative Party leader in 2016.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has also ruled himself out of running for party leader. He wants to remain in his current cabinet position.