One Hundred (100) trained men and women have successfully passed out as river wardens at the Eastern Naval Command in Tema to help boost Government's fight against illegal mining in some river bodies in the country. The 100 trained personnel are expected to monitor the various river bodies and report on illegal activities polluting the river bodies. Speaking at the passing out ceremony, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, in-charge-off-mines, George Mireku Duker said "We are here today to add the latest intervention towards the fight against illegal mining, that is the deployment of river wardens. The idea behind the river wardens is to train and deploy men and women to monitor the various river bodies and report on illegal activities polluting the river bodies" The Deputy Minister explained that whenever Operation Halt II undertakes any operation, since they are not permanently stationed, illegal miners return to the water bodies to perpetuate their criminal activities hence the need for river wardens. "Hence, we are of the firm believe that, if these river wardens who are going to monitor these activities work as expected, we believe it will go a long way to help protect our water bodies. The river wardens will be working closely with the Riverine Command of the Navy and Operation Halt II Contingent from time to time" "The operations of the five (5) speed boats working closely with the river wardens and connected to the newly established situational room at the Minerals Commission is expected to yield the desired results." Mr. Duker also noted that Government will procure more speed boats, especially the locally manufactured ones in the coming days to support the activities of the river wardens. He also added that the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry is in the process to procure body cams for the river wardens for purposes of their operations. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Operation Halt II will continue to support these measures. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is grateful to the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command for their collaboration in this effort, and indeed, in several other initiatives." He reminded te gathering saying "Hon. Deputy Minister, MPs, MMDCEs, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, the fight against illegal mining must be a national concern, and I call on every Ghanaian living everywhere, and particularly communities along the various river bodies, who bear the brunt of these illegalities, to be vigilant, and support the government by reporting those involved in these activities" "Let me reiterate that the Government of President Akufo-Addo, is not against small scale mining. What we are against, is any form of mining that pays no regard to the environment, that is done contrary to law and the established protocols, that threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions of our citizens, and we will not hesitate in cracking the whip on those who engage in such illegalities" Mr. Duker stressed that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources remains committed to the vision of the President Akufo-Addo, to make Ghana the mining hub of Africa, by promoting a responsible, viable, sustainable and environmentally-sound small scale mining industry anchored on integrity and contributes, meaningfully, to the national economy. He was optimistic that government will never relent on the effort, adding that with the support all, the Akufo-Addo Administration shall succeed. The Deputy Minister showered praises on the Eastern Naval Command for their dedication and commitment to the training of the River Wardens. "May I congratulate the graduands on this occasion of your passing out, this day recognizes your commendable success after a period in the Eastern Naval Command that has tested your intellect and resilience. Well done" "My hearty felicitation also goes to the family, spouses and friends of the graduands. We thank God that your personal sacrifices and deprivations to see your loved ones through the training programme have all paid off" Some self-esteemed graduands who distinguishably excelled in the various modules were honoured. They include; Joseph Cudjoe from Shama, who grabbed both the Overall Best winner and Best in Boat Handling. Others include; Bronya Kwaku Junior from Amenfi East claiming the Best in Swimming, Gideon Christian Kwame from Nzema East went home with Best in Drill, Benjamin Nana Aggrey who hails from Takoradi was adjudged Best in Leadership and John Cobbinah from Tarkwa had the enviable Best in Physical Training. "As you are aware, the fight against illegal mining and the protection of our environment is a national priority. Glorious as this day may be, let us keep in mind that, a more wonderful future awaits us if we are able to win the fight against illegal mining and other crimes in society. For the River Wardens, daunting days lie ahead of you. The temptations of bribery, greed for money and many more are likely to sway off your purpose, but I urge you to put on the armour of patriotism, selflessness and integrity in the discharge of your duties." The 100 river wardens are the First batch of out of 300 River Wardens who completed a 4-week intensive pre-deployment training course. They were drawn from districts along the Rivers Ankobra, Bonsa and sections of Pra and Tano. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Residents in Tema in the Greater Accra Region have been advised to stay indoors, 3news.com gathers, as funeral activities for the late Tema chief, Osonnaa Nii Adjei Kraku II, begin on Wednesday, October 26. There is scheduled to be a total blackout from 7:00pm to 12:00am as part of a Ga custom to honour dead chiefs. This has forced some major state institutions which run night shift for staff to review their rotas. The Tema General Hospital, for instance, has asked staff on night shifts on Wednesday to report earlier than usual. “In view of that, Management is urging all staff scheduled for night shift on Wednesday 26th October, 2022 to report to work by 5:00pm,” a memorandum issued by the Medical Director of the Hospital to all department heads on Monday said. “This is to enable the staff who will be handing over and those taking up perform such activities in good time to enable their colleagues return home before the total blackout.” Credit: 3news.com

Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA) has warned that the incessant increase in the prices of electrical cables is promoting the usage of inferior cables in the construction of buildings. President of the Association, Awal Sakib Mohammed revealed to Alfred Ocansey in an interview on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show that a lot of the buildings he has seen are sitting on a time bomb because of the inferior cables that were used in their wiring. “In Ghana, our system is not well regulated. Both public and some private jobs are lumped up and given to one person who is a building contractor who wants to maximize his profit as a businessman. However some of them are not able to price well for the electrical works and in order to make up for the underpricing, they force the electrical person to go with any amount. The electrical person too would have to compromise on quality in order to be able to do the job” GECA is therefore pushing for separation of jobs so that electrical jobs are awarded separately to specialized electrical companies, whereas the civil and building work is given to a civil engineer so that we can have very good electrical installations in Ghana. “I tell people that a lot of the buildings that I know in this country are sitting on time bomb because quality have been compromised” Awal Sakib alleged. He explained that the cost of borrowing and cedi depreciation are seriously affecting the cost of cables and thus contributing highly to the use of inferior cables and shoddy electrical works in Ghana. According to the electrical contractor, estimates are made for electrical works in advance but as the construction progresses, the price instability affects the budget allocation and in order for the contractor not to incur greater losses, he or she would resort to lesser expensive and inferior alternative materials. “Building construction does not take a day to complete and there are some of the jobs we even price before a sod is cut so you have already estimated how much it would cost and the client has also made financial commitment. But you are left with no choice than to complete the project though the prices of cables have gone up.” Awal Sakib also stated that unfortunately he has been compelled by the current economic trends to ask about half of his employees to stay home which has become a common trend in the electrical construction industry under the current economic climate. “Personally I have declined some invitations to tender for contracts because I cannot predict how prices are going to be tomorrow” the President of GECA told 3FM. “I know a number of our members, contractors who have died or are dying because they have entered into contracts that are strict and they are now forced to complete the project with their additional money. The nature of our business is such that for some contracts, you are required to bring a bank guarantee and have to use your properties as collateral before the banks may give the guarantee” Mr. Sakib. He added that in the situation whereby the cedi keeps depreciating in value, the contractor is plunged into a dire situation and sometime end up losing his or her properties which were used as a loan guarantee because the price variation has affected the project so much to the extent debt has been incurred. Credit: 3news.com

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is meeting with Managing Directors of Banks and some forex bureaux as part of moves to stabilize the forex market today, Tuesday October 25. The meeting which is also also part of efforts to halt overpricing is taking place in Accra. Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah announced the steps taken by the government to tackle the Cedi at a press conference on Monday October 24. “The Bank of Ghana will be meeting the Managing Director of some of the Banks and the heads of the forex bureau association to hold discussions aimed at ensuring that the supply of forex on the market is stabilized and the overpricing is halted so that, those who need forex for business get it without hindrances at the banking halls as against rates on the black market or some other quarters,” he said. He added “We will also be looking at long-lasting measures to ensure that forex rate is stabilized in the country, even as we expect a lot more inflow of forex following the completion of the syndication of the COCOBOD transaction loan. “The Economic Management Team (EMT) is also meeting to appraise itself on some of the recommendations as we get closer to the end of the year. “On Thursday, Cabinet itself will be meeting to receive what has gone through the EMT and updates from the IMF negotiation so that some decisions will be made and then update the country on the next step forward.” Credit: 3news.com

The Police on 23rd October, 2022 arrested suspects Kingford Anku, Adjei Evans, Francis Amoah and Akwesi Aquah in connection with disturbances during the Adansi North National Democratic Congress (NDC) NDC Constituency election held at Fomena. As the ballots were being counted, the suspects destroyed chairs and other properties belonging to the Nana Abu Bonsra Primary School where the election was held. The four, were arraigned before the Bekwai Circuit Court today, 25th October, 2022. They were convicted and fined an amount GHC6000.00 each or three months imprisonment in default. Source: 3news.com

Some New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentarians are demanding the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister. The MPs, numbering about 80, held a press conference on Tuesday to impress on the President to relieve his cousin of managing the national purse or risk losing their support for government business going forward. They also want the Minister of State in charge of Finance at the Office of the President, Chares Adu Boahen, to be subjected to a similar fate. It was addressed by MP for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah-Kubi.According to him, the call has been communicated to the Presidency through the leadership but to no avail. "Notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority caucus here in parliament will not participate in any business of government by or for the President [or] by any other minister,” he explained. The MPs say their sentiments reflect the position of the NPP caucus in the House.This has been a unanimous call for the opposition legislators who have constantly called for the Minister’s head with some civil society organisations joining the fray at a point. One of the key cards on the table for these majority MPs is the approval of the 2023 budget which will be pivotal to expenditure, especially at a time when government finances are in limbo. “If our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing, neither will we participate in the debate,” Mr Appiah-Kubi indicated. The development comes amid a worsening economic downturn in the country as the Ministry looks to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a crucial bailout. Credit: MyjoyOnline.com

Head of Nerasol Ghana, Samuel Ofori-Gyampoh has received a recognition at the 12th Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA) 2022 held at Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra Ghana. It was under the theme; “Celebrating & Promoting Excellence In The Tech Industry”, and honoured several players- organitions and individuals in the technology and telecom industry in Ghana and Nigeria. Nerasol Ghana was awarded the Software Provider of the Year whiles Mr. Samuel Ofori-Gyampoh the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the ICT Group of the Jospong Group of Companies received an award for the IT Professional of the Year. Addressing awardees and patrons of the event, Mr. Akin Naphtal-Founder/CEO of Instinct Wave, organizers of the awards stated that GITTA was created as a strategic platform to recognize, reward, and showcase the pioneering ICT initiatives driving the private and public sectors with a vision of setting a benchmark to the sub-region's wave of development in ICT. GITTA will recognize organisations and individuals at the forefront of digitization with innovative products and services that keep the ICT sector exciting. The prestigious annual ICT gala awards night has inspired and promoted further development, growth, and innovation of the country's ICT industry as a regional leader. Talking to the media, Mr. Samuel Ofori-Gyampoh, COO and Mr. Wisdom Elvis Ativoe, Managing Director of Nerasol Ghana expressed their appreciation to the hardworking staff whose dedication and commitment has earned Nerasol Ghana this feat, adding “on behalf of the entire Nerasol Ghana Team, Mr. Gyampoh dedicated the awards to customers and potential customers of Nerasol Ghana and the ICT, whose patronage has brought meaning to the existence of the Company. NeraSol Ghana Limited is incorporated as a technology company under the ICT cluster of the Jospong Group of Companies, and specializes in tailor made Business Efficiency Software Solutions which help simplify work in a world of complex information by empowering organisations to- digitize and automate their business processes. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

A Ghanaian woman has been murdered in a shooting incident at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center, United States of America (USA). The unfortunate incident happened at about 11 am on Saturday, October 22, 2022. The victim; a Ghanaian employee of the hospital and one other colleague were killed by the shooter who was subsequently confronted by a Methodist Health System police officer. According to a report by international media outlet; ABC news, the hospital confirming the incident in a statement said a Methodist Health System police officer "confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him. The suspect was detained, stabilized, and taken to another local hospital." A source close to the family of the Ghanaian woman told GhanaWeb that the victim identified as Jacqueline Ama Pokuaa, is daughter of one Colonel David Ansah Boakye (Rtd) who resides in Ghana. According to the source, father of the deceased is an ex-official of the Ghana Armed Forces and a Church Elder at the Garrison Seventh-day Adventist church at Burma Camp in Accra. Methodist Health System police, Dallas police, and Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the shooting inside the hospital at the time of the incident at 11 am. The suspect was reportedly on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active ankle monitor at the time of the shooting, police further said. The suspect is currently facing capital murder charges. Credit: Ghanaweb

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia will be giving a lecture on the restoration of the Ghana Cedi. According to sources, the Vice President will be speaking to issues on the rapid depreciation of the cedi. The lecture is expected to take place on Friday, 28th October, 2022. The lecture will be held at the Cedi Conference Centre, Legon. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Management of transport service, VIP JEOUN Transport, have announced new fares effective Monday 24th October, 2022. The new fares according to Management took effect at 7am on October 24. In a release sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, passengers who use the services of VIP JEOUN Transport will be paying GHc100 from Accra to Kumasi. Some other fares include Accra to Sunyani GHc130 while Accra to Bawku now stands at GHc285. Below are the new fares: EXECUTIVE COACHES 1. Accra - Kumasi Ghc 100. 2. Accra- Sunyani Ghc 130. 3. Accra - Takyiman Ghc 130. 4. Accra - Sampa Ghc 160. 5. Accra- Drobo Ghc 150. 6. Accra - Dormaa Ghc 150. 7. Accra- Kintampo Ghc 140. 8. Accra - Nkoranza Ghc 130. 9. Accra - Sefwi Juaboso Ghc 150. 10. Accra - Ahafo Mim Ghc 130. 11. Accra - Ahafo Goaso Ghc 130. 12. Accra - Dunkwa Ghc 125. 13. Accra - Ash. Mampong Ghc 110. 14. Accra - Ash. Bekwai Ghc 110. 15. Accra - Oboasi Ghc 120. 16. Accra - Tamale Ghc 240. 17. Accra - Yendi Ghc 250. 18. Accra - Bolga Ghc 270. 19. Accra - Navrongo Ghc 280. 20. Accra - Bawku Ghc 285. 21. Accra - Wa Ghc 260. 22. Accra - Buipe Ghc 215. 23. Accra - Garu Ghc 295. 24. Accra - Nandom Ghc 270. 25. Accra - Hamile Ghc 275. 26. Kumasi - Tamale Ghc 140. 27. Kumasi- Bolga Ghc 170. 28. Kumasi - Bawku Ghc 180. 29. Kumasi - Garu Ghc 190. 30. Kumasi- Wa Ghc 160. 31. Kumasi - Sunyani Ghc 35. 32. Kumasi- Goaso Ghc 35. 33. Kumasi- Takyiman Ghc 35. 34. Accra - Abuakwa- Kumasi Ghc 110. STANDARD TOUR COACHES 1. Accra - Kumasi Ghc 80. 2. Accra - Sunyani Ghc 115. 3. Accra - Takyiman 115. 4. Accra - Nsawkaw Ghc 120. 5. Accra - Wenchi Ghc 120. 6. Accra - Tamale Ghc 200. 7. Accra - Bolga Ghc 225. 8. Accra - Bawku Ghc 235. 9. Accra - Garu Ghc 240. 10. Accra - Wa Ghc 215. 11. Accra - Drobo Ghc 125. 12. Accra - Dormaa Ghc 125. 13. Accra - Nkrankwanta Ghc 140. 14. Accra - Babiani Ghc 105. 15. Accra - Sankore Ghc 115. 16. Accra - Sefwi Bonsu Nkwanta Ghc 135. 17. Accra - Sefwi Debiso Ghc 145. 18. Accra - Sefwi Osei Kwadwo Krom Ghc 150. 19. Accra - Suaman Dadieso Ghc 150. 20. Accra - Ahafo Mim Ghc 115. 21. Accra - Ahafo Goaso Ghc 115. 22. Accra - Ahafo Kasapii Ghc 125. 23. Accra - Dunkwa Ghc 115. 24. Accra - Diaso Ghc 120. 25. Accra - Bogoso Ghc 105. 26. Accra - Prestea Ghc 115. 27. Accra - Wassa Akropong Ghc 120. 28. Accra - Tarkwa Ghc 95. 29. Accra - Enchi Ghc 145. 30. Accra - Ash. Mampong 95. 31. Accra - Ejura Ghc 105. 32. Accra - Yeji Ghc 135. 33. Accra - Cape Coast Ghc 65. 34. Accra - Takoradi Ghc 80. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Rishi Sunak will become the United Kingdom’s new prime minister after winning the ruling Conservative Party’s leadership contest, which was triggered by the resignation of Liz Truss last week. Sunak’s win on Monday came days after Truss’s resignation after her disastrous tax cuts plans and policy U-turns plunged the markets into chaos. The unprecedented economic crisis drew a rare intervention from the Bank of England. Britain faces serious economic challenges and needs stability and unity, Sunak said on Monday in his first public speech since winning the contest. “There is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge,” Sunak said. “We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.” Sunak, a former finance minister, has been left with the task of steering a deeply divided country through an economic downturn set to make millions of people poorer. Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from London, said Sunak is “pretty well placed” despite the challenges ahead. “In some ways, … some of his work has already been done in terms of putting out the fires that Liz Truss created because it did cause a storm in the markets,” Simmons said. “The whole list of tax cuts and ideas that frankly, according to Sunak and others, belongs to Disneyland because none of it was going to be really possible without crashing the economy more,” he said. (Al Jazeera)Sunak’s only challenger, Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons and former defence minister, was reportedly backed by 30 MPs compared with nearly 150 supporting Sunak. “This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party,” Mordaunt said in a statement as she withdrew from the race just minutes before the winner was due to be announced. “Rishi has my full support.” Sunak and Mordaunt had lost to Truss last month in the race to appoint a successor to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He was forced to announce his resignation in July after a wave of scandals linked to parties held during the COVID-19 lockdown. Sunak will be the UK’s first leader of colour and the first Hindu to take the top job. At 42, he will also be the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years. The multimillionaire former hedge fund boss will be expected to impose deep spending cuts to try to rebuild the UK’s fiscal reputation, just as the country slides into a recession, dragged down by the surging costs of energy and food. He will also inherit a political party that has fractured along ideological lines, a challenge that damaged the fortunes of several former Conservative leaders. While there were rumours about a Johnson comeback over the weekend, he pulled out of the contest on Sunday. He had said that he had secured the backing of 102 legislators and could have been “back in Downing Street” but he had failed to persuade either Sunak or Mordaunt to come together and back him “in the national interest” “I believe I have much to offer, but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time,” Johnson said. The Tories retain a majority in parliament, meaning that as their leader, Sunak will be named prime minister by King Charles III. Economists have questioned whether Sunak can tackle the country’s finances while holding the party’s multiple warring factions together. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt – the fourth person in that role in four months – is due to present a budget on October 31 to plug a black hole in the public finances, which is expected to have ballooned to up to 40 billion pounds ($45.2bn). Conservative political commentator Alex Deane noted that the last three Conservative prime ministers have been brought down by members of their own party. “So it’s very nice to hear people say good things about our new leader,” Deane told Al Jazeera. “[Sunak] didn’t have a direct electoral mandate,” Deane said. “… One of the things he is going to have to do … is preside over a period of relative calm, reassuring the markets and not doing anything too bold or too rapid.” “One of the things he is likely to do is to keep Jeremy Hunt as chancellor,” he added. “He really reassured the markets when he arrived. What he can’t do is to compel Tory MPs to demonstrate loyalty to him.” Source: Al Jazeera and News Agencies

Boris Johnson pulled out of the race to succeed Liz Truss as Britain’s prime minister on Sunday evening, ending a quixotic bid to reclaim a job he lost three months ago amid a cascade of scandals, and leaving his rival, Rishi Sunak, in a commanding position to be the country’s next leader. The result of the contest will not be known until Monday afternoon at the earliest, and there is still room for further twists. Mr. Johnson did not endorse Mr. Sunak, and another ambitious candidate, Penny Mordaunt, remains in the hunt. But Mr. Johnson’s withdrawal removes much of the suspense from a race that was shaping up as an epic battle between the former prime minister and his onetime chancellor. Mr. Johnson said he believed he had a path to victory, even though the BBC estimated he had lined up the public support of only 57 Conservative lawmakers. It was well short of the threshold of 100 required to be on the ballot, though he claimed he had 102 votes. Whatever the case, he said in a statement, “I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do.” Mr. Johnson, 58, said he did not believe that he could govern effectively without a unified Conservative Party in Parliament. Despite what he said were his efforts to reach out to Mr. Sunak and Ms. Mordaunt to create some kind of unity ticket, “we have sadly not been able to work out a way to do this.” Mr. Johnson’s departure ends a feverish three days following Ms. Truss’s resignation in which he once again gripped public attention and dominated the political conversation. But his campaign never really gained momentum. Party leaders threw their support behind Mr. Sunak as a better option to try to unify a divided party and put the chaos of the last few months — much of it caused by Mr. Johnson — behind it. For Mr. Sunak, the 42-year-old son of Indian immigrants, the dizzying events appeared to cap a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes. In September, he lost his leadership bid to Ms. Truss in a vote of the party’s members, despite winning the most votes from Conservative lawmakers. Now, he stands on the cusp of becoming the first prime minister of color in British history. Mr. Sunak, who formally declared his candidacy on Sunday with a promise to “fix our economy,” had lined up at least 155 votes by late Sunday afternoon, according to a tally by the BBC, more than double the votes pledged to Mr. Johnson. Beyond the numerical advantage, Mr. Sunak picked up multiple endorsements from people on the Conservative Party’s right flank. On Sunday morning, Steve Baker, a lawmaker who represents an influential group of euro-skeptics in Parliament, announced that he would support him. Editors’ Picks “Boris Johnson would be a guaranteed disaster,” Mr. Baker told Sophy Ridge of Sky News. “We cannot allow it to happen.” Later in the day, Suella Braverman, an immigration hard-liner who served briefly as home secretary under Ms. Truss, threw her support to Mr. Sunak, as did Kemi Badenoch, the international trade secretary and a rising star in the party. For Mr. Johnson, who flew home Saturday from a vacation in the Dominican Republic to woo lawmakers, it was sobering evidence of how much has changed since he won a landslide general election victory in 2019. Despite winning endorsements from former members of his cabinet, he was not able to persuade the party’s right flank — traditionally the bedrock of his support — to back him. Not only did many party leaders view Mr. Johnson as an intolerable risk, they also believed that Mr. Sunak, who ran the Treasury under Mr. Johnson, could bridge some of the bitter ideological rifts in the party, which were deepened by Ms. Truss’s turbulent six weeks in office. In the last contest, many on the party’s right flocked to Ms. Truss, which enabled her to beat Mr. Sunak. Under the rules set out by the party, candidates are required to have nominations from at least 100 of the 357 Conservative lawmakers to advance to a second round of voting, which is among rank-and-file members of the party. Candidates have until 2 p.m. Monday to gather nominations. On Monday, the party will hold two rounds of voting to winnow the field to one or two. If two remain, party members will cast online ballots later in the week. Ms. Mordaunt, who is viewed as popular with the members, could still be a factor if she is able to cobble together the requisite 100 lawmakers. Having declared her candidacy on Friday, she insisted on Sunday that she was confident of lining up more than 100 lawmakers. But political analysts pointed out that even if all of Mr. Johnson’s publicly declared supporters switched their votes to Ms. Mordaunt, it would still leave her short of 100. She said that she had rejected an appeal from Mr. Johnson to support him, while media reports said she had asked him to support her bid. Mr. Johnson did receive endorsements from the current foreign secretary, James Cleverly, as well as a member of his last cabinet, Nadhim Zahawi, who served as chancellor of the Exchequer after Mr. Sunak resigned. (On Sunday evening, he switched his support to Mr. Sunak after Mr. Johnson’s withdrawal.) Mr. Sunak’s departure in July helped set in motion the wholesale walkout of ministers that toppled Mr. Johnson after a series of scandals that included illicit parties at Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic and Mr. Johnson’s defense of a Tory lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct. “When I was Chancellor, I saw a preview of what Boris 2.0 would look like,” Mr. Zahawi wrote on Twitter. “He was contrite & honest about his mistakes. He’d learned from those mistakes how he could run No10 & the country better.” Other observers were more jaded. They noted that Mr. Johnson and his allies claimed to have rounded up the votes of 100 or so lawmakers several times throughout the weekend without ever providing evidence that it was true. British newspapers reported that Mr. Johnson tried to strike a deal with Mr. Sunak to join forces, meeting him on Saturday. But the shape of such a ticket was never clear, given Mr. Sunak’s lead among lawmakers, and the animosity between the two men made any cooperation look far-fetched. In the statement announcing his candidacy, Mr. Sunak said his experience as chancellor would equip him to lead Britain through the economic challenges that loom. He promised a government of “integrity, professionalism, and accountability,” drawing a clear comparison with the ethical failings of Mr. Johnson’s tenure. For all his success in winning over lawmakers, Mr. Sunak would still face a challenging job in resuscitating his party’s fortunes. The Conservatives are trailing the opposition Labour Party by more than 30 percentage points in polls. Despite his flaws, Mr. Johnson was still viewed by many as a proven vote-getter. Mr. Sunak also must contend with a party still torn by factional feuds and divisions. The fact that Mr. Johnson was viewed as a potential leader, however briefly, attests to the residual hold that he had over the party, and the task that Mr. Sunak would face as a leader. Some political analysts were already asking if there would be a place in Mr. Sunak’s cabinet for Mr. Johnson. On Sunday, it was Mr. Sunak’s turn to be the magnanimous victor. Mr. Johnson, he said in a statement, “led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine.” “Although he has decided not to run for P.M. again,” Mr. Sunak added, “I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad.” Credit: Mark Landler