Boris Johnson abruptly drops out of race for UK PM

London

FORMER London mayor Boris Johnson abruptly pulled out of the race to become Britain's prime minister on Thursday, in a shock announcement less than a week after leading the campaign to pull the country out of the European Union.

Mr Johnson, whose support for the campaign to leave the EU was widely considered one of the decisive factors in the "Brexit" victory, had been bookmakers' runaway favourite to succeed David Cameron.