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Boris Johnson

LONDON. — Former mayor of London Boris Johnson yesterday ruled himself out of the race to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron on a day of high drama following Britain’s shock vote to leave the EU.

Meanwhle, Lord Hesletine, the former Deputy Prime Minster has accused Boris Johnson of having “ripped the Tory Party apart” and creating “the greatest constitutional crisis in peacetime in my life”.

The Conservative grandee who stood against Margaret Thatcher in the 1990 Conservative Party leadership contest and was seen as being largely responsible for her subsequent resignation went on to add that; “he’s like a General who marches his army to the sound of guns and the moment he sees the battleground he abandons it.

“I have never seen anything like it and he must be answerable for the consequences”.

The decision by Johnson — who spearheaded the “Leave” campaign — upended the Conservative Party leadership contest and added to deep uncertainty over how the country will split from the 28-nation alliance.

Johnson had been widely tipped as a favourite to succeed Cameron, who resigned in the wake of the June 23 referendum and left it to his successor to open formal talks with the EU on Britain’s departure.

The most likely choice is now Interior Minister Theresa May, who called for “unity” in the deeply divided Conservative Party and said Brexit negotiations should not be started this year.

Johnson made his announcement after Brexit ally Michael Gove announced his own bid for the top job, slamming the leadership of the mop-haired politician.

“Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in parliament, I’ve concluded that person (new prime minister) cannot be me,” Johnson said in a speech in London.

Justice minister Gove, who campaigned alongside Johnson for the historic vote, said the former London mayor “cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead”.

Reflecting the mood of betrayal, Johnson quoted from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, paraphrasing the final speech given by plotter Brutus shortly before knifing the emperor.

May, a low-key supporter of remaining in the European Union, said she could now provide the “strong, proven leadership to steer us through this period of economic and political uncertainty”.

She stressed that any attempts to “wriggle out” of promises to cut immigration “especially from leadership candidates who campaigned to leave the EU by focusing on the issue” would be unacceptable, interpreted as a swipe at Johnson.

Cameron announced his resignation within hours of last Thursday’s 52-48 percent vote to leave the EU, a decision that has exposed deep rifts in British society and plunged the country into extraordinary political turmoil.

A new leader is set to be voted in by Conservative members by September 9, but European leaders have pressed for a quicker timetable, warning against a prolonged period of uncertainty over Britain’s EU future.

May said if she became leader, Britain would not trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which sets off a two-year timetable for its departure, before the end of the year, saying the country needed to decide what it wanted from a deal.

Work and pensions minister Stephen Crabb and energy minister Angela Leadsom also announced their intention to run.

The Brexit vote has sent the pound plunging and led US president Barack Obama to warn of “longer-term concerns about global growth”. — AFP/The Telegraph.