Several hopefuls vying to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May turned their fire on favourite Boris Johnson, questioning his pledge to leave the European Union by the end of October no matter what.
With former London mayor and foreign minister Johnson keeping a low profile, the other candidates have targeted the air waves to present their cases to lead the governing Conservative Party. His absence was marked by an empty lectern.
That left the five other candidates to argue over which man was best placed to deliver Brexit in testy exchanges International Development Minister Rory Stewart described as a competition of “machismo”.
Knowing Johnson is the man to beat, candidate after candidate questioned his ability to navigate Britain’s departure from the EU, saying his pledge to leave on Oct. 31 was nigh on impossible and would set Britain on track for a no-deal Brexit.