Boris Johnson has said that Number 10 is “no place for a lawbreaker” in his final Prime Minister’s Questions before handing over the reins to either Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordant or Liz Truss. The outgoing Prime Minister’s Downing Street record has come under fierce attack from SNP, LibDems and Labor leaders – Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly used criticism of the government by Tory leadership candidates in televised debates to condemn Mr Johnson. “They organized the televised debates because they thought it would be a great opportunity for the public to hear the candidates first-hand, and then disaster struck because the public actually heard the candidates first-hand,” Sir Keir said. A Sky News debate scheduled for Tuesday was canceled after two of the contest’s front-runners – Ms Truss and Mr Sunak – pulled out. Asked why this happened, Mr Johnson claimed “no [been] watching this thing particularly closely’, but said whoever won it would ‘sweep the floor’ with Sir Keir, like ‘some household detergent’. Sir Keir, acknowledging it would be his last chance to woo Mr Johnson at PMQs, said the relationship between the prime minister and opposition leader had “never been easy”. “This has not proven to be an exception to the rule,” he added. Some of the prime minister’s remarks will raise questions about whether he is planning a comeback, despite saying at the start of PMQs it would “definitely” be his last. Wrapping up the meeting, Mr Johnson said goodbye, saying “the mission is pretty much done for now” and “Hasta la vista, baby”. Asked for comment, his press secretary did not outright deny that he may be planning a return to Downing Street as he replied: “This was his way of saying goodbye to his colleagues.” Johnson will remain prime minister until September 5, when his replacement is announced, but it will be his last PMQs as MPs break for their summer break on Thursday and when they return there will be a new Tory leader. Opposition parties are demanding Johnson leave Downing Street early and install a caretaker prime minister, but the current leader has refused. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey urged the Tories to call a general election as soon as possible, while Westminster SNP leader Ian Blackford thanked Mr Johnson for taking support for Scottish independence to “new heights” with his leadership in the United Kingdom. Citing the Partygate scandal, in which dozens of government staff were fined for breaking Covid laws, Mr Blackford said the Prime Minister was “disgraceful” and “disgraceful”. He added: “Let’s not forget, the Prime Minister is still under investigation because he cannot be trusted to tell the truth. “Disgraceful, disgraceful and a complete waste of Scotland’s time. This is how the people of Scotland will remember this Prime Minister. “Isn’t it true that the prime minister and his government should have had their last day a long time ago? “Quite simply, Downing Street is no place for lawbreakers.” The Prime Minister replied: “The personal abuse stuff, I think speaks volumes. When he retires to his family, which may be very soon, I hope he will reflect on his long campaign to break up the greatest country in the world.” Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know… What you need to know about the Tory leadership race Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss are all vying to replace the outgoing Prime Minister, but one will be ruled out of the Tory leadership race this evening. Tory MPs are set to vote on who will make it to the bottom two before Tory party members decide for the rest of the summer which candidate will be leader. The result will be announced by the chairman of the 1922 Commission, Sir Graham Brady, at 4pm. Mr Johnson, who has repeatedly called Mr Starmer “Captain Hindsight” at PMQs, said last week that his successor – whoever that is – would “wipe the floor” with the Labor leader. “After a couple of weeks, that’s exactly what they’re going to do. They’re going to rally around the winner and do exactly that,” he said at his penultimate PMQs. Foreign Secretary Truss is now the favorite to win the leadership contest after beating her former cabinet colleague Mr Sunak, who resigned as chancellor two weeks ago before launching a leadership bid. But Ms Truss, who has the support of 86 Tories, must beat Ms Mordaud in today’s vote. She has 92 backers but it is thought Ms Truss is likely to beat her because most of those who previously supported the now-disappeared Kemi Badenoch are expected to choose the foreign secretary as their leader. Mr Sunak is almost certain to be in the bottom two as he already has 118 supporters, just short of the 120 required to reach the final round of the competition.
