# The next British Prime Minister **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 24, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450 "2019-05-24T13:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/41 "2019-05-25T15:17:21Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Actually, the only person who might have the chutzpah to make a 180 degree turn, cheerfully shaft his own party, and then claim it as a great victory… is Boris Johnson. 😃 Possibly, but whether he can do so without cocking it up and making a complete dog’s breakfast of the whole schemozzle…? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/42 "2019-05-25T16:47:56Z")
I think much will depend on the results of the EU election, specifically how well the Brexit party does. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/43 "2019-05-25T17:36:25Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Actually, the only person who might have the chutzpah to make a 180 degree turn, cheerfully shaft his own party, and then claim it as a great victory… is Boris Johnson. 😃 To paraphrase _Animal House_: I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part. And Boris is just the guy to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/44 "2019-05-25T17:52:10Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > Depends on what you consider ‘failing’, I suppose. Those still supporting Brexit would see leaving with no deal as paramount success. That’s what Johnson has said. They’re out in October, deal or no deal. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/45 "2019-05-25T17:54:08Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Obviously it won’t be Farage but _could_ it? Is there anything stating a PM must be a Lord or MP? Does the leader of the Conservative party have to be a Conservative Lord or MP or could the role of “Conservative leader” go out of house? As I may have mentioned a time or two above, Farage is not a Tory. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/46 "2019-05-25T23:14:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > To paraphrase _Animal House_: I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part. And Boris is just the guy to do it. My favorite SDMB post of the day. Here’s a pretty good CNN overview of May’s record, almost all of it bad: [https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/uk/theresa-may-legacy-of-failure-analysis-intl-gbr/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/uk/theresa-may-legacy-of-failure-analysis-intl-gbr/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/47 "2019-05-26T00:39:55Z")
Owen Jones goes OFF on Theresa May. [https://www.indy100.com/article/owen-jones-theresa-may-resign-speech-tears-sympathy-8930096](https://www.indy100.com/article/owen-jones-theresa-may-resign-speech-tears-sympathy-8930096) ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/48 "2019-05-26T04:45:19Z")
Tory Party MP’s are among the most unpredictable constituents on earth. Not since Ted Heath has a favourite going into the contest went on to win the leadership. You can replace ‘unpredictable’ to describe Tory MP’s with ‘slippery shysters’ or ‘back-stabbers’. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/49 "2019-05-26T09:28:10Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > To paraphrase _Animal House_: I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part. And Boris is just the guy to do it. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/50 "2019-05-26T09:41:03Z")
[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/may/25/stephen-collins-on-boris-johnson-cartoon](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/may/25/stephen-collins-on-boris-johnson-cartoon) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/51 "2019-05-26T11:08:32Z")
One of the things the Tories need to do is decide whether they want someone who is primarily a leader or someone who is primarily a manager. And then choose the person to fill that role. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/52 "2019-05-26T11:20:54Z")
I think the Tories primarily need a campaigner. You can take away from that who I think should get the job. Folk may not like it but just about everything else is secondary in politics. Without a campaigner/leader the Tories are not forming a new government anytime in the forseeable future. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/53 "2019-05-26T12:09:37Z")
The candidates are: Andrea Leadsom, Rory Stewart, Esther McVey, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock I’d say that the only three in with a realistic chance are Gove, Hunt, and Johnson. If the MPs narrow it down so that the last two standing are Boris + anybody else, party members will vote for Boris. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/54 "2019-05-26T12:12:15Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > cocking it up and making a complete dog’s breakfast of the whole schemozzle…? Aw, how charming. British vulgarities. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/55 "2019-05-26T12:37:04Z")
The situation - and the person - demand no less. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/56 "2019-05-26T14:00:17Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > I’d say that the only three in with a realistic chance are Gove, Hunt, and Johnson. If the MPs narrow it down so that the last two standing are Boris + anybody else, party members will vote for Boris. Raab is very popular with MPs. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/57 "2019-05-26T15:35:31Z")
If Johnson is not in the final two candidates whoever ends up winning the contest will have to be seriously impressive at the job. Tory members, already disgruntled(to put it mildly) at the party’s failure on Brexit, will be seething at not having at least the opportunity to vote for Johnson. The opinions of party members are not necessarily the same as opinions of Tory voters, but there will be a massive overlap. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/58 "2019-05-26T15:57:13Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/may/25/stephen-collins-on-boris-johnson-cartoon](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/may/25/stephen-collins-on-boris-johnson-cartoon) Positively Shakespearean. Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/59 "2019-05-26T21:00:03Z")
[The Conservative Woman](https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/thatcher-and-boris-compare-and-contrast/) on Boris. It’s not pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450/60 "2019-05-27T00:33:19Z")
EU MEP results are coming in… any thoughts on how this will effect the selection of the PM? Brexit Party is doing disturbingly well… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-british-prime-minister/834450.md?page=4)