Why didn't Boris stand?

[TooLateForAName]

Has anyone come up with a quick explanation of why Boris was so easily pushed out by Gove?

Given Boris' obvious ambitions and his popularity in the tory party I really don't understand why Gove standing would mean that Boris felt that he couldn't.


Does Gove 'have something' on Boris ? If not why did he step back?

[PositronicRay]

The Peter Principle comes to mind.

Secretly MG & BoJo have a pact and a get out of jail free card. This is the second one MG doesn't intend to win.

[bitchstewie]

If I was going to guess it's as simple as May was ahead of Boris already, Gove dilutes the remaining (no pun intended) vote, Boris probably now has even less.

Never did know much about the bloke but at least I know he's a spineless st now.

[grumbledoak]

Loads of theories here, or throughout the media:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Couldn't form a team, or couldn't get enough votes, and didn't want to stand and fail is my guess.

[Jasandjules]

I think (and I may be miles out but it is logical in my small brain).

1. He didn't want to leave.
2. What he wanted to do is de-stabilise Cameron to take control of the Party and become PM
3. It went wrong.
4. He doesn't want the poisoned chalice.

[Lucas CAV]

Too lazy to take on the huge task ahead.

Or advised that his private life would presumably cause fuss / headlines

[jazzybee]

Let new PM take on the challenge (blame/risk) of poor exit... after which an election will be called where he will come in as knight on a white horse an take over leadership and run for PM with the popular vote (where he has done surprisingly well). So, sacrifices a a year or two of a poisoned chalice in exchange for a better long term leadership with a potential legacy.

[DonnyMac]

It is very simple.

The Conservative leadership rules whittle down the participants by MPs voting for each of them, the one with the least votes get removed and then they vote again and so on until there are only two left.

When there are two left the Conservative Party members vote on whom they wish to be PM, the members are Joe Public that have paid £25 to the party.

Boris is adored by the members.

He is not adored by the MPs.

He wouldn't have got to the last two (for the members vote) as when Gove joined he took a ,easier able amount of MP voting support with him, thus Boris lost some of the few MPs votes he'd managed to scrabble together.

He'd have beaten May hands down if he'd got to the members vote but the maths wasn't looking good to get that far.

Gove screwed Cameron, his best buddy and then Boris.

[Big Al.]

grumbledoak said:

Loads of theories here, or throughout the media:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Appear to be a discussion on that thread already running.