Boris Johnson has pulled out of leadership race

[feckity]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-36570120

Crabbe thinks homosexuality is am illness that can be cured.

"We're going to do the decent, moral thing and call a general election because of how much we've fucked up the country" - said no politician ever.

Emigration has never seemed so appealing.

If Michael Gove gets in and takes us out of Europe, we really will be entering the new Dark Ages. One of those things on its own would take us to the brink, but both together and we're literally fucked.

Did you see the leaked email from Sarah Vine to Michael Gove, being all "make sure you get Boris to promise you a good job, now there's a good boy?"

Though that was pre this announcement. If only Uxbridge wasn't a Tory safe-seat, or we could get him out at the next election before he gets a chance to be PM.

Get Boris out I mean, just to clarify.

'claig so who is steering Murdoch then???'

Don't know exactly. Very big geopolitical forces and big money interests. Not all good, but a lot better than the alternative group.

Trump has taken them on and they have had to back down and it seems throw their lot in with Trump rather than Clinton.

We get freedom and business out of it, so it is good for us.

Very sensible. It was a bit of a poisoned chalice. Far better to hold back and run when the next PM resigns after invoking article 50.

He was the fuckwit who poisoned the fucking Chalice! And you can bet your last £ that he'll be back when the shitstorm he created has died down. Probably, god help us, as a "Unity" candidate.

WhatchaMaCallit

Scotland was no more sold a bag of lies than the rest of the UK.
1 MILLION Scots voted Brexit.
Scotland held an IndyRef two years ago with a conclusive vote to remain UK.
I am in Scotland and have no appetite for a 3rd Ref in 2 years.

Sturgeon did not get the reception she wanted in Europe.
She is as venal and ambitious as the rest of them.
What are the SNP plans to pay for Indy this time?
Last time it was oil (hollow laugh).
This time? the deficit is higher there than anywhere else in UK.
Are the SNP hoping that the EU will bail them out?

DailyMailEthicalFail, I think with Gove. Murdoch, Dacre, a Brexit, possibly Trump and the impending end of the EU, there will be no Scottish independence.

The whole world is in the process of complete geopolitical change where freedom and business and national sovereignty are set to take the upper hand over the socialists.

I think that will good for ordinary people as we will have more freedom and social mobility.

I didn't see this coming at all but seems completely obvious now it's happened.

Presumably this is what Gove and Johnson spent the weekend talking
about.
Maybe they decided that 'Etonian 2: this time it's Bullingdon' would strike the wrong note after the referendum.

Possibly Boris as foreign sec handling the negotiations? OMG kill me now which would be good for those of us who want the closest to EU membership we can get, provided he can rein in the buffoon aspect.

I didn't really believe in that email though I suppose it could have been a deliberate leak.

Just possibly of course he has riffled through his index cards of personal scandals and fuckups and decided to shelve it for now ala Umunna.

DH was telling me this morning how good it would be for women in politics if we ended up with Angela Eagle and Theresa May as leaders. I pointed to that Theresa May is essentially a female Michael Gove in terms of liberalism and the tories don't have a great reputation for female leaders being beneficial for other women.

At least Nicky Morgan's not running but God knows why she's backing Gove, maybe Cameron told her to as that's her rationale for everythig else she does.

'At least Nicky Morgan's not running but God knows why she's backing Gove'

She is probably thinking about her career and thinks Gove will win

Gove was always going to stand. He's always wanted the top job, that's why he left education without a fuss.

Crabbe always makes me think if Crabbe and Hoyle though, can't help it.

I do wonder what Private Eye will come up with for the next administration, after the rev and the academy.

On the BBC news its just said that Gove wants to take us out of the single market. He could therefore fulfil the promise of much lower immigration. He'd fuck the economy, but hey, it'd be worth it because "we're in charge"

If Gove does to the whole country what he did to the education system, we are all up the shittiest creek there is.

I suppose it's possible he couldnt get enough MPs to support him- is it 50 that they need?

Someone on the BBC said that Gove was supposed to be campaigning for Boris but has decided to run himself. Not sure if that's true.

Thank fuck for that!

With my 'House of Cards machiavellian strategies' hat on I think this was a set up (allegedly):
Boris wants out (he doesn't want to be unpopular, he needs time to distance himself from Farage and win back the (now regretful) Londoners who voted him in as mayor). But Boris doesn't want to look weak/cowardly. So..

Boris and Gove hatch a plan for Gove to challenge Boris (nicely set up by the 'leaked' email) so now Boris' exit only looks 'hurt and conciliatory'.

Gove is promised all he desires once Boris succeeds in later years. In the meantime Gove gets to hedge his bets by not siding with Boris but remaining Leave; gets to increase his profile by throwing his hat in; gets a shot (probably his only chance ever) at being PM.

Boris is as ambitious and canny as they come. If only he'd applied all that energy and effort to caring for the country's economy (or London when he was Mayor).

We can't have a PM who's married to a Daily Mail columnist, ffs!

Gove is NOT a good guy.

He is a fucking dickhead with all the political nouse of a woodlouse.

I think it could be anyone of May, Gove or Leadsom.
They are all good candidates. All much better people than Cameron imo.
My favourite is Leadsom and I would hope the Tory membership like her too as she was on the telly a lot during the campaign and she was very positive - managing to be persuasive without saying anything disloyal or nasty.

"Boris the Bregretter". Love it

Maybe this is part of his famous 'plan'?
He took back control....and gave it away. TO MICHAEL GOVE God no- anyone but him. But how does all this relate to Sarah vines letter yesterday?

This is all getting a bit house of cards / ks1 playground now. Would love a time machine so we could all go back 1 week and prevent this shower of shite.

Gove as PM, Leadsom as Chancellor.

Aye that would do.

Ah yes- clearly I haven't read the full thread! I see it has all been uncovered already by mumsnetters- reading this thread is my afternoon sorted! Piles of washing up and laundry will have to wait

Can't just be me hoping that Murdoch will drop dead sooner rather than later?