Boris Johnson,
former UK Prime Minister who was ousted last year, wants Rishi Sunak to stand
down from the UK PM race, according to British media reports. Johnson, 58, is
attempting to position himself as the only leader able to take charge of a
British economy under immense stress due to the “cost-of-living” crisis. Boris
has also called on Sunak to “get back together”, according to a report in The
Telegraph.

Rishi Sunak
and Boris Johnson had a public falling out when the former resigned from
Johnson’s cabinet. Later, Sunak was in contention to be prime minister but lost
the Tory vote to Liz Truss. Truss served only 45 days in office before she was
forced to resign upon realising, she could not serve the mandate upon which she
was elected.

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While Rishi
Sunak has already surpassed the necessary benchmark of 100 nominations to be
considered for the position, Johnson too has supporters. The controversy-ridden
former prime minister is said to be on his way back to London from a holiday in
the Caribbean to swerve things his way.

On Friday,
James Duddridge, a key Johnson ally, said that he was in touch with the former
prime minister and Johnson had told him that he was up for the job.

Duddridge’s
candidacy, however, also faces resistance. Tom Tungedhat, UK’s security
minister who too was in the running for the prime minister’s post when Johnson
resigned, called upon Boris Johnson to stay out of the race. “This is no time
for political games for settling scores, or for looking backwards.”

Also Read | Boris Johnson may run for UK PM again, take a look at his scandalous tenure

Opposition
parties on the other hand are calling for snap elections. Labour leader Sir
Keir Starmer said the country “cannot have another experiment at the top of the
Tory party.” Liberal Democrats and the SNP and the Green Party have also sought
immediate elections. Polls show three out of five British nationals want fresh
elections to be conducted.