Boris Johnson launches UK leadership bid

Boris Johnson launches his campaign yesterday to replace Theresa May as Britain’s next leader, as lawmakers moved to stop him and other hardliners from delivering a “no deal” Brexit. The former foreign secretary is the favourite among 10 candidates to succeed May, who quit after failing to take Britain out of the European Union on schedule. Johnson, a leading figure in the 2016 referendum vote to leave, has said he will deliver on the result with or without a deal with Brussels. Meanwhile, the European Commission yesterday warned that Britain will have to pay its outstanding share of the existing EU budget even if it leaves the union without a withdrawal agreement.