Let the battle begin

Seven in the running to replace May as PM in Brexit fallout

THE knives are out in the race for Britain’s top job, with front runner Boris Johnson being attacked for saying he would walk away from the European Union with no deal, potentially damaging the UK economy.

The bookmakers’ favourite is being circled by a string of contenders aiming to become prime minister.

Theresa May announced that she would vacate the position on June 7.

One of Mr Johnson’s rivals, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, has said that he would not serve under Mr Johnson if he won the leadership because his nodeal stance was “damaging and dishonest”.

“I could not serve in a government whose policy was to push this country into a nodeal Brexit. I could not serve with Boris Johnson,” he told the BBC.

But Mr Stewart saved his best lines for Twitter, when he wrote in what was seen to be a crack at Mr Johnson: “The star name will not always be the best choice.

“There may be times when Jiminy Cricket would make a better leader than Pinocchio.”

There are seven declared candidates, Mr Johnson, Mr Stewart, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, former work and pensions secretary Ester McVey and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, former Brexit minister Dominic Raab and former House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom.

Sir Graham Brady, who was instrumental in forcing Mrs May to quit, powerbroker Michael Gove, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid have been considering their positions.

Mr Hunt has claimed his business background will help resolve Brexit if he won the Tory leadership.

“If I was prime minister, I’d be the first prime minister in living memory who has been an entrepreneur by background,” he told the Sunday Times.