He will inherit a precarious Parliamentary position, and time for agreement is growing very short.
Our pre-Commons stage take was that Johnson is best placed to do so on time. As ballot papers are returned, we stick by that judgement.
The front-runner has so far played it safe when it comes to the media, but the BBC’s premier political interviewer could yet make mincemeat of him.
Each week, we are summarising the announcements made by those vying to succeed May as Prime Minister.
Plus: Johnson, not a populist. Hunt’s beside manner. Lewis and his highly professional CCHQ team. And: the courage of 16 year old Ajay.
Also: Next Prime Minister faces tricky questions on devolution, same-sex marriage, and abortion in Ulster; and May orders a review of devolution – will it do any good?
There are all these ghastly photos of them hugging passers by and avoiding difficult questions.
He is an admirably English candidate, a sensitive and prudent man who can be relied on to behave like an officer and a gentleman.
Johnson had been touted as a potential leader long before I was handing out leaflets for him a decade ago; but friends, those were different days and different times.
His campaign was slow to start, and sometimes misfired. But he found his voice, is part of a Johnson future – and is back on the up.
If Brexit really must happen, then better to be frank about the impossibility of renegotiating the deal, or exiting without one.
There has been no consultation with those who live in the part of the UK that these changes would affect.