The race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister of Britain was turned upside down on Thursday when Boris Johnson, widely seen as the leading candidate, chose at the last minute not to run, after his close ally Michael Gove challenged him for the job. The unexpected turn of events was the latest political aftershock fromBritain’s vote last week to leave the European Union, and it could benefit another candidate, Theresa May, the home secretary, who laid out her case on Thursday for why she should lead the party.
But Mr. Johnson said he was not the person to unite the party, and that the circumstances were no longer right for him to bring the country together.
The emerging competition between Mr. Gove, 48, and Ms. May, 59, is now the dominant dynamic in Britain’s fast-moving political upheaval.

Source: NewYorkTimes.com