Boris Johnson refuses to rule out Tory leadership bid during time as Mayor

 
Selection: Boris Johnson will fight the seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Picture: Reuters)
Robin de Peyer17 September 2014
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Boris Johnson today refused to rule out a Conservative leadership bid during his final year as Mayor of London.

The development is likely to fuel speculation that Mr Johnson is eying the Tory leadership - or at least a ministerial post - before his term in City Hall ends in May 2016.

Mr Johnson has long been tipped as a likely replacement for David Cameron as Conservative leader and was asked about his plans during Mayor's Question Time today.

"All I can tell you, is there is no vacancy for either of the posts that you’ve described," he said as he dodged questions on his Westminster ambitions.

It comes after the Mayor secured the local Conservative party's nomination to stand in the safe seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip at next year's general election.

But today he branded questions on his ambitions from Labour Assembly Members as "outrageous hypotheses and conjectures."

Mr Johnson will inherit a seat with an 11,000 majority from outgoing Uxbridge Tory MP Sir John Randall - and polling suggests he could increase the Conservatives' share of the vote there.

It comes as the Prime Minister faced the prospect of a leadership crisis in the event Scotland votes for independence.

Many Tory backbenchers consider his position untenable if he presides over the break up of the 200-year-old union.

But Mr Cameron insisted today that he would not resign if Scotland breaks away, saying: "My name is not on the ballot paper."

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