LONDON — Boris Johnson pulled out of the race to lead the U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party and the nation, leaving Rishi Sunak on the brink of becoming the next prime minister.
Johnson, who left office last month after a series of scandals rocked his premiership, said in a statement that it “would simply not be the right thing to do” to mount a bid because it would divide his party.
“You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament,” Johnson wrote in a statement on Sunday. “The best thing I can do is not allow my nomination to go forward.”
