Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled himself out of the Conservatives leadership race.

Mr Johnson says while he believes he had the support, he decided it is not the right thing to do.

He was widely tipped to make a comeback.

“There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday,” Mr Johnson said in a statement.

“But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.”

Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner to take over from Liz Truss, pledging to fix the economy and unite the Party.

Ms Truss resigned last week after just 44 days in office, making her the shortest serving Prime Minister.

Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images

RELATED

What happens next: UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after 44 days