Boris Johnson considering quitting politics at next election
Boris Johnson is thinking of quitting politics at the next election, according to reports.
The Sunday Telegraph said the Prime Minister would not resign before that for fear of triggering a by-election that the Conservative Party would likely lose.
Mr Johnson, who is said to be in Chequers planning his future this weekend, is also looking for somewhere to live as his homes in London and Oxfordshire are rented out.
He is also said to be considering a future on the speakers circuit where he would be expected to command huge fews as a former Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson, a former journalist, is also likely to pick up his pen again. Before he got to Number 10 he was given a reported six-figure advance for a book on William Shakespeare which is yet to be finished.
He is also likely to be offered a sizable sum to write his memoirs of his time in Downing Street taking in the Brexit negotiations, war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic.
It comes as fellow MPs began jostling to take over the top job from him. His newly-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has thrown his hat into the ring for Tory leader, joining his predecessor Rishi Sunak.
The former education secretary is the third serving Government minister to kick off their campaign for the leadership, after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Attorney General Suella Braverman announced their intentions to run.
Earlier, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said after “careful consideration” and discussion with colleagues and family, he would not stand to be party leader and the next prime minister.
In addition to Mr Zahawi, Mr Shapps, Mr Sunak, and Ms Braverman, ex-minister Kemi Badenoch and senior Tory Tom Tugendhat have launched their own bids, with further announcements anticipated over the coming days.
