Where’s Boris? Johnson takes back seat as Conservatives feud

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The contenders to replace Boris Johnson are scrambling to distance themselves from the scandal-tainted politician who remains Britain’s prime minister for a few more weeks. Johnson, meanwhile, has largely disappeared from the scene. He has not attended any government emergency meetings about a heat wave that has been called a national emergency, and spent the weekend at the prime minister’s country house, throwing a farewell barbecue. On Monday, Johnson returned to Parliament to extol his government’s accomplishments, including fighting the pandemic. Conservative lawmakers held another elimination vote to reduce the number of candidates to replace Johnson from five to four, ousting lawmaker Tom Tugendhat from the race.