Boris Johnson Won’t Seek to Lead Britain, but Michael Gove Will.
'The race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister of Britain was turned upside down on Thursday when Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who was widely seen as the leading candidate, chose at the last minute not to run after a close ally, Michael Gove, unexpectedly said he would seek the job.
The turn of events was the latest political aftershock from Britain’s vote last week to leave the European Union, and it could benefit another candidate, Theresa May, the home secretary, who laid out her case on Thursday for why she should lead the party.
Mr. Johnson said, “Last week, the people of this country voted to take a new path and a new direction for Britain, in a decision that I passionately support.”
“It is vital now to see this moment for what it is,” he said, speaking shortly before a noon deadline for party members to declare their candidacy. “This is not a time to quail, it is not a crisis, nor should we see it as an excuse for wobbling or self-doubt. But it is a moment for hope and ambition for Britain — a time not to fight against the tide of history but to take that tide at the flood, and sail on to fortune.”
But Mr. Johnson, 52, said he was not the person to unite the party and the country.
“Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in Parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me,” he said. “My role will be to give every possible support to the next Conservative administration, to make sure that we properly fulfill the mandate of the people that was delivered at the referendum, and to champion the agenda I believe in.”
The emerging competition between Mr. Gove, 48, and Ms. May, 59, is now the dominant dynamic in Britain’s fast-moving political upheaval.'>>>
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/world/europe/britain-conservative-party.html?
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