London: Michael Gove, who sensationally turned on his long-time ally Boris Johnson to upend the race to be Britain's next premier, said Friday his record as a leader of the pro-Brexit campaign made him the best candidate.
Setting out his platform to succeed Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, the bespectacled justice minister admitted he was not charismatic, but vowed to be the standard-bearer for change after Britain's historic vote to leave the European Union.
Eurosceptic Gove also insisted that if he wins the keys to 10 Downing Street he would not activate the trigger to start negotiations on Britain's divorce from the EU until at least next year.
"Whatever charisma is, I don't have it," Gove told reporters, but added: "The country voted for no more politics as usual, no more business as usual, and that is why I'm standing, as the candidate for change."
Gove, who worked closely with former London mayor and "Leave" campaign figurehead Johnson ahead of last week's referendum, stunned Britain on Thursday by announcing his candidacy to lead the Conservatives, saying he did not believe Johnson had the qualities to be premier.
Barely two hours later Johnson, who had been expected to be the frontrunner, announced he was not standing after all.
That left interior minister Theresa May who kept a relatively low-profile during the referendum campaign but was on the "Remain" side of the bitter argument as the frontrunner in a field of five candidates, one of whom will become premier in September.
Gove said he was best-placed to succeed Cameron because he campaigned to leave the EU, which Britain is now committed to doing after 52 percent of voters backed quitting the bloc in last Thursday's momentous referendum.
"I will ensure that we will honour the instructions that the British people have given us," Gove said.
"This referendum was about democratic accountability. I believe that the next prime minister has to be on the winning side of that argument," he added.
Britain will become the first country to leave the European Union, in a process formally triggered when it activates Article 50 of the European Union's 2007 Lisbon Treaty, starting a two-year negotiation process.
Gove said he would not pull the trigger until at least January.
"I have no expectation that it would be triggered in this calendar year," he said, adding: "We need to have some preliminary conversations. We will do it when we're good and ready."
Nominations to become leader of the Conservative Party who automatically takes over as prime minister closed on Thursday. Over the coming weeks the five-strong field will be reduced to two, with the winner being announced on September 9.
