Osborne needed to be nominated by directors on the IMF's executive board, who were elected by member countries, to enter the contest. Both European and British government sources said that Osborne, who backed Boris Johnson in the Conservative Party leadership election, would likely be the British nomination, due in part to Johnson's accession to Prime Minister. Several government figures, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, endorsed Osborne for the role. He told "The Times" that "there's a number of discussions going on, and I think that George would make an excellent, absolutely superb head of the IMF." Boris Johnson spoke to President Trump in a phone call prior to the G7 summit to rally support for Osborne.