The elusive favourite to become Britain’s next prime minister emerged unscathed from a television debate, despite refusing to take part.
Boris Johnson did not attend Sunday’s Channel 4 debate, which was expected to expose him to sustained fire from five rivals seeking to lead the ruling Conservative Party and hence become Britain’s next leader.
Secretary of State for International Development Rory Stewart, who mounted a credible challenge to Johnson with his more moderate Brexit position, scored well with the audience.
Britain’s next prime minister will be decided by a multi-step process which sees Conservative members of parliament (MPs) vote in a series of ballots to narrow the field down to two candidates by June 22, after which the full Conservative Party membership will have one month to choose between them.
Johnson’s five rivals largely refrained from attacking him during the Channel 4 debate, saving their animosity for opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Only Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt – seen as Johnson’s likeliest challenger in the final vote – went on the attack.
“Where is Boris?” asked Hunt, “If he can’t join this team with five colleagues, how is he going to fare with 27 European countries? He should be here to answer that question.”
Johnson resigned from his position as foreign secretary in July 2018 to protest against the Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May had reached with the EU. In May this year, he announced his candidacy for the Conservative Party leadership after May’s resignation.
He went on to win 114 votes in the first round of MP votes last week, giving him a commanding lead in the race to succeed May.
David Jeffery, a lecturer in British politics at the University of Liverpool who has studied the Conservative Party, said: “The only real question is: Will Boris ruin his chances in the next debate?”
Observers will be watching to see how he fares in a debate on the state broadcaster BBC scheduled for Tuesday evening – following the elimination of at least one of the candidates in the second ballot of MPs earlier in the day.
Mike Bird, the Conservative leader of Walsall council – a region in the West Midlands that voted heavily for Brexit – said: “I don’t think he will win: He was the man who was going to lose this election rather than win it.
“Boris has got great charisma. People on the street love him. But conversely, there are those in government and local government who say he keeps dropping the ball.”