Contest to replace Boris Johnson begins

PARIS－As many as a dozen candidates on Friday were eyeing up replacing Boris Johnson as British prime minister who is quitting after his Conservative Party turned on him, as opponents said they wanted him out of Downing Street immediately.

Johnson said on Thursday that he would step down as Conservative leader and British premier following resignations by more than 50 government ministers, and many of his lawmakers telling him they wanted him out of office.

The jostling to choose his successor, a process that could take weeks or even months, is underway with senior figures and some lesser-known members of parliament expected to throw their hats in the ring.

Many Conservatives are turning their attention to replacing him full-time, with no shortage of ambitious candidates.

So far, just Attorney General Suella Braverman and Tom Tugendhat, chairman of parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, have officially confirmed their desire to be the next leader, but about a dozen others have been tipped to consider running for the job.

Among those who are considered to be front-runners are former finance minister Rishi Sunak, foreign minister Liz Truss and defense minister Ben Wallace, although none of them have yet to declare their intention to stand.

Although the exact rules and timetable for the contest have yet to be set out, Conservative lawmakers will whittle down the hopefuls to two final candidates, and then the party's members, numbering fewer than 200,000 people, will decide which one will be leader, and the next prime minister.

Whoever that is will be faced with a daunting in-tray.

Loss of trust

In the meantime, Johnson, brought down by a series of scandals and a loss of trust in his integrity, remains in the job, a situation that opponents, and many in his own party, say is untenable.

"I think Conservative MPs have got to get rid of him today," Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, told BBC TV.

"It's just ludicrous that he's the caretaker prime minister. He's never cared and looked after anything in his life."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that the resignation is the UK's internal affairs. He also called for the British side to promote the sustained and stable development of bilateral relations with Beijing.

The United States said it would continue its "close cooperation" with Britain, including their joint support for Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said.

After years of tense relations with Britain, the European Union saw the hope of improved ties following the resignation of Brexit champion Johnson, though wariness lingered.

"The departure of Boris Johnson opens a new page in relations with Britain," tweeted Michel Barnier, former top EU negotiator for Brexit.

Agencies via Xinhua