Boris Johnson won the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday but will face a confrontation over Brexit with Brussels and members of his party as well as a tense diplomatic standoff with Iran. The former London mayor easily beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a poll conducted among members of the governing Conservative Party. He is expected to be confirmed as prime minister on Wednesday when his predecessor Theresa May formally tenders her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II.
It is a triumph for a man who has always wanted the top job, but Johnson, known for his jokes and bluster, is taking over at a time of immense political upheaval. Three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union, Britain remains a member, after twice delaying its exit amid continued wrangling in a divided parliament – and the country – on how to proceed. Johnson led the 2016 Brexit campaign and has said the latest deadline of October 31 must be kept, with or without a divorce agreement with the EU.
But Brussels says it will not renegotiate the deal it struck with May, which was designed to ease the end of a 46-year partnership but which MPs have rejected. A majority of lawmakers are against a “no deal” Brexit, including many of Johnson’s colleagues. Three cabinet ministers have already said they will not serve under Johnson, saying that severing ties with Britain’s closest trading partner with no new arrangements are deeply irresponsible. The government’s official forecaster said last week that Britain will slide into a year-long recession should it leave the EU without a deal.
