Boris Johnson launches leadership bid: We leave EU on October 31 deal or no deal

LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain's next prime minister, promised on Monday to lead the country out of the European Union on Oct. 31 with or without an exit deal, launching his leadership bid in a campaign video.

Prime Minister Theresa May is due to resign on Friday having failed to deliver Brexit on time, leaving behind her a divided nation and parliament with no consensus on the way ahead for the word's fifth largest economy.

Johnson, a former foreign minister who resigned in protest at May's handling of Brexit, is the bookmakers' favorite to win a crowded contest and take over the running of the country at its most important strategic juncture in decades.

“If I get in we'll come out, deal or no deal, on October the 31st,” he was seen telling a member of the public in a campaign video released on Twitter.

The video, featuring clips of Johnson talking to voters and a monologue delivered straight to camera, is his first real salvo in the leadership battle which so far has 13 contenders and could take two months to determine the winner.

“Cut some taxes and you get more money in,” he is telling another member of the public, while also arguing for more investment in education, infrastructure and healthcare.

“Now is the time to unite our society, and unite our country. To build the infrastructure, to invest in education, to improve our environment, and to support our fantastic NHS (National Health Service),” he said.

“To lift everyone in our country, and of course, also to make sure that we support our wealth creators and the businesses that make that investment possible.”