If Boris gets 100 backers, could Rishi not run and instead support Penny M as that combination would have a better chance of beating Boris?

He hasn’t got the attention to detail to help the country. He’s a lightweight. Let’s hope he earns loads lecturing to idiots who will pay for him and likes an easy life. (Assuming he can ditch being a power crazed liar).

Boris Johnson has set his sights on 2024 and says although he has 102 supporters he thinks this is not the right time.

A commentator on Andrew Neil's programme said Tory grandees had advised him not to stand on the basis of it being too soon now but "his time will come". [Dear God I hope not.]

Mmmmm... I reckon he has decided that the office of PM is a poisoned chalice with all the current onerous economic issues to face, too much hard work for him, as he likes spending on vanity projects not saving and being prudent, and of course he may be worried by the upcoming standards committee hearing. And possibly he could have just been beaten fair and square in terms of votes by Rishi Sunak and he is trying to save face.

Ok so Boris Johnson not standing.

Just watched a bit of Andrew Neil and Sky news and there's a slightly different tone emerging tonight.

Apparently some Tory grandees have been advising Boris Johnson not to stand for the good of the party and are telling him that his moment will come in the future but not now.
(I imagine that the upcoming standards committee hearing may have something to do with this.) And the fact that he may not have as many MPs backing him as he initially anticipated.

And the general speculation seems to be that Rishi may just be declared unanimously?
Nothing is certain of course and I don't know where that leaves Penny Mordaunt
but they are saying her supporters will back BJ if she drops out.

Others are speculating that Mordaunt was put there to take votes away from BJ in the first place.
Who knows?
All will become clear at 2pm tomorrow I suppose.

The leader of the Conservative party resigning does NOT trigger a general election. Any more than it did when Tony Blair resigned when Labour were in power. Be very careful about Boris again. He lies. He’s chaotic. He’s being investigated. He’s dire.

He has more opposition within the parliamentary party and is under investigation from the privileges committee so Johnson more likely to have to resign (again).

Why does he think Johnson makes a GE more likely? He caused havoc last time around and still people loved him.

PMSL your husband may have a point!!!

Not Penny no no no. Would rather have Boris! (Pref Rishi!)

That's probably a valid point.
If Boris wins there's probably enough Tory MPs willing to bring down the government to get rid of him ... or is that wishful thinking.

Sunak now has Badenoch and Baker and another B I can’t recall

Heavy hitters to the right of the party, there’s zero chance in handing over that gift to PM

It’s really illogical thinking tbh

Penny should support Rishi

DH remarked last night that he'd rather Boris win rather than Rishi, as that makes the likelihood of an early general election much greater so we can actually get rid of the Tories once and for all (well for a few years, anyway!).

Penny won't hit the 100.

She probably already knows that (as do most of her supporters), but she's hoping she's got leverage as a kingmaker for Boris or Rishi to get a prime cabinet job (unless either can get enough backing to make her cohort irrelevant).

The "deal" Rishi needs to strike now is with undeclared MP's to stop Boris getting to 100 and be crowned king without a membership vote.

Boris clams he has 100 but it's in his interests to do that even if he hasn't and publicly those votes are not in the bag.

He wants to force concessions from Rishi because the leverage Boris has is that IF he has the 100 he's got a good chance of winning the membership vote - but even that's not 100% certain.

Personally I think Boris has taken leave of his senses trying to run again now if he wants to make a comeback.

The term has 2 years to run in some of the most testing of times and the likelihood of a second term is uncertain, especially if his return is unpopular with the general electorate (which I think it would be).

Rather Truss has given him the gift of no longer being the crappist PM in recent times and he could use that to take in £££ on the circuit and re-stage his ambitions in the future (letting others to deal the economic mess of Brexit and Putin).

But he's Boris and his ego is far to big and self control too limited to do what's right for himself, never mind the country.

The whole thing is a shit show, but fundamentally the markets most value a Rishi/Hunt combo (a GE would also create more instability) - so that's where my hopes lie.

I'd prefer the whole pantomime to be abandoned in favour of a general election though that looks unlikely to happen.

Boris should have been banned from standing as the recently ousted PM. The reasons he was ousted have not gone away.

I'd prefer everyone to put support behind Rishi, if he ever gets around to throwing his hat into the ring.

I just have a horrible feeling that Boris will get this and sneak back in again.

What a farce!!

It’s a mad idea

Sunak is courting various top MPs getting their support. He’s not just going to give all that work away to someone with good hair.

I jest about last part

Here Penny, have my 114 votes to top up your 23...you're welcome. No, it'll be fine, MPs love unpopular candidates getting in to power.

Rishi might drop out because he would rather Penny than Boris.
He could ask his supporters to back her. It might depend what the opinion polls of Tory members are saying

I agree. I am no fan of Boris but he did lead the country through covid-19 & Brexit - I know it's a shambles but at least he didn't upset the markets. He also had some credibility on the international stage.

Penny Mordaunt who only has 22 public backers in her corner? I don't think that's going to fly.

General election please. This whole stupid contest is a disgrace.

I can't believe I'm about to say this....but I'd rather have Boris than Penny. She is a fucking disgrace

It's a different brother who was has received the suspended sentence. Penny has two brothers, one is indeed a TRA it was the other one who was grooming and tried to meet up with an under age girl. As an aside please don't call it child pornography there is no such thing name it as what it is - images of the rape and sexual abuse of children.

Because Penny has already thrown her hat in the ring, Rishi hasn’t.

Not sure it will matter. If Johnson gets over 100 (which it seems he does have) then he'll get into the membership vote and inexplicably it looks like he'll win there against anyone. Tosser.