'IT'S EARLY DAYS'
Boris Johnson REFUSES to back Theresa May as he becomes favourite to replace her as she clings on to power with help from DUP
BORIS Johnson this morning refused to say whether he would still support Theresa May as Prime Minister after he quickly emerged as favourite to replace her as Tory leader.
The Foreign Secretary would only say it was “early days” when asked if he was supportive of the PM, as discontent with her leadership grew after a disastrous election night in which the Tories lost their majority.
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With the Tories in turmoil, Mr Johnson said: “Early days, it’s early days. Everybody should contain themselves".
The former London mayor quickly emerged as frontrunner to replace Mrs May as the chaos of a hung parliament loomed in Westminster, with many of her own MPs slamming the Tories' campaign as the “worst in living memory”.
The PM has vowed to continue in office, leading a minority government propped by the DUP from Northern Ireland.
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, Mr Johnson's odds of becoming PM skyrocketed just hours after the exit poll, with odds jumping from 66/1 to 5/1 on Thursday night.
As of 7am Friday, Mr Johnson had 2/1 odds compared to Mrs May at 5/4 and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at 18/1.
But Amber Rudd, the Conservative's current Home Secretary, has been given a fighting chance at 5/1.
Having previously served as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Ms Rudd has been seen as Theresa May's successor.
David Davis has also been given odds of 7/1 by the bookies.
The Brexit Secretary would be well-placed to take over negotiations around leaving the EU, having unveiled plans to transpose EU law before early 2019.
It comes as one Tory MP told The Sun "spitting doesn't even cover it" when it came to the mood in the parliamentary party with many furious at seeing friends and colleagues lose their seats.
Another added the campaign had been the "worst in living memory", with MP Anne Soubry telling the BBC that the PM should "consider her position".
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George Osborne also twisted the knife into Theresa May on election night, calling the Tory leader’s manifesto “one of the worst in history”.
The former Chancellor turned newspaper editor spoke out against the PM over the manifesto, which vowed to withdraw from the Single Market and to strike its own global trade deals.
And Tory backbencher Anna Soubry was savage in her assessment - and said it was a "dreadful campaign" that no one was expecting to go so wrong.
She said that the PM would "take responsibility for the running of this campaign".
"Look where we are for God's sakes," she added. "This is a very bad moment for the Conservative party."
She added: "It was a tightly knit group and it was her group who ran this campaign." Ms Soubry hit out at the Tories plans to scrap free school meals.
Conservative MP Nigel Evans told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We didn't shoot ourselves in the foot, we shot ourselves in the head."
He went on: "A very successful campaign was hijacked by ourselves."
And Nicky Morgan, a regular critic of Mrs May, said the Conservatives should look for new leadership in the long run.
She told The Guardian: “I’m reeling. I think we’re all reeling. I think there’s real fury against the campaign, and the buck stops at the top.”
She added, “I think she should stay for now, but I think she won’t fight another election - and I think eventually, whether it takes weeks or months, we will have to look at the leadership."
Some of the key details from the turbulent election night:
- Hung parliament confirmed with Tories missing out on majority of 326 with polls predicting 318 seats - down from 330
- Labour forecast to take 262 - up from 232 in 2015.
- Theresa May faces mounting pressure – with the odds slashed on Boris Johnson to be the next PM
- Fears grow Brexit negotiations could be sunk if Mrs May does not secure a majority
- Lib Dem Nick Clegg loses Sheffield Hallam seat but Vince Cable regains Twickenham while leader Tim Farron clings on
- Home Secretary Amber Rudd holds on to Hastings seat by barely 300 votes meaning she stays a contender to replace the PM
- Huge losses for SNP as former chief Alex Salmond and deputy leader Angus Robertson are both beaten by the Tories.
- Labour on march in London beating Tories to Battersea constituency
- Pound slides two per cent as exit poll predicts hung parliament
- Ukip voters desert party with vote share down by ten per cent - but not all move to the Tories
- Growing fears that Mrs May will have to call a second election later this year
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According to , Mr Johnson has always been a favourite to be Prime Minister.
A spokesperson said: "Boris is one of the key figures in the party and his odds have come down from 33/1 to be the Prime Minister after the election to 8/1.
"He has always been favourite to take over from May to be the next Conservative Leader at odds of 3/1 ahead of Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd."
The pound has wobbled in response to the unexpected results, with sterling plunging.
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Mr Johnson missed out on becoming Prime Minister last year after David Cameron stepped down.
The politician pulled out of the race in 2016, having taken a step back when Michael Gove put his name forward.
Johnson had earlier launched an attack on Jeremy Corbyn, calling the Opposition Leader a "mutton-headed old mugwump".
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