Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Ben Quinn

‘Well, that was unexpected’: how Johnson wrongfooted his leadership backers

MPs were seemingly caught out when Boris Johnson pulled out of the race to be prime minister.
MPs were seemingly caught out when Boris Johnson pulled out of the race to be prime minister. Photograph: Lee Anderson/Facebook

To borrow a line from Eric Morecambe – as one wag pointed out to Nadhim Zahawi on Twitter – it was a case of “backing all the right candidates, just not necessarily in the right order”.

Among a field of very late converts to the charms of Rishi Sunak, Zahawi was one of those caught out in the most awkward of ways by Boris Johnson’s abrupt announcement that he was not entering the Tory leadership race.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.