Former Conservative foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned the Tories have “a big mountain to climb” to win another term as he refused to rule out a contest for the top job before the 2024 election. It comes after the latest tranche of partygate fines issued by the Metropolitan Police left Boris Johnson and the Cabinet Secretary unscathed. “But I would be very open with you that I don’t rule out a return in the future,” he added. Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson broke his own rules on a “record-breaking scale”, adding that “Britain deserves better”. Home Secretary Priti Patel failed to say whether or not she still supported Mr Johnson.

Source: The Times May 13, 2022 01:05 UTC