Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Sunday will not stand for the leadership of the Conservative Party, to replace outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss.
In comments quoted by the BBC, Johnson said that despite having the support of the MPs required to run, he had come to the conclusion "this would simply not be the right thing to do" as "you can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament".
Johnson said he had the backing of 102 MPs to return as Conservative leader.
The former Prime Minister also said he is "well placed" to deliver a victory in the 2024 general election.
"Tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow," he stated.
"There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament," added Johnson.
Johnson’s announcement paves the way for Rishi Sunak to become Britain’s next Prime Minister.
Truss announced this past Thursday that she will resign as premier, less than two months after she replaced Johnson as Conservative Party leader.
Johnson resigned as Conservative party leader in July, amid resignations by several of his ministers.