Boris Johnson takes quiet back seat as UK Conservatives feud over new leader
The contenders to replace Johnson are scrambling to distance themselves from the scandal-tainted politician who has resigned as party leader but remains Britain's prime minister for a few more weeks - despite the fact that most of them have served in his government over the past three years.
On Monday, Johnson attended the Farnborough Air Show and will return to Parliament for one of the final times as prime minister to extol his own accomplishments ahead of a largely symbolic vote of confidence called by the government in itself. Front-runner Rishi Sunak, who served as Treasury chief under Johnson until he resigned earlier this month, is under attack by rivals for spending billions to keep workers and businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, and raising taxes to help pay for it.
Conservative lawmakers will hold the latest in a series of elimination votes later Monday to reduce the number of candidates - already slimmed from an initial 11 - from five to four. Sunak, Mordaunt and Truss are widely expected to remain in the contest, with backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat or former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch facing elimination.
Johnson won the Conservatives a commanding parliamentary majority in 2019, but he has been plagued by scandal since then, including being accused of misleading Parliament about government office parties that broke COVID-19 lockdown rules.
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