The day he was elected interim PC leader, Vic Fedeli said he intended to seek the job to lead the Tories into the June election.

Today he announced a change of heart and plans.

Here’s Vic Fedeli’s statement.

”Over the past few days, I have been humbled by the outpouring of support from Party members, candidates, and caucus.  I have been honoured to have them put their trust in me.

It has been a chaotic time for our party, and a steady hand is needed at the helm.  We have learned our party is in much worse shape than we knew.  Fixing this will be a massive undertaking.  But it is essential, if we are to win the next election.

I have always believed that we must put team, before self.  It is time to put the party and the province ahead of any one person’s ambition.

As such, I will work exclusively as Interim Leader to the Party.

We have a strong caucus, a strong roster of candidates with more to come, and we will have a very worthy person chosen at the end of this process to be our party leader and the next Premier of Ontario. 

The province needs a strong opposition to hold the Wynne Liberals accountable for years of scandal, mismanagement, and waste, and to continue to present the need for change at Queen’s Park.

We can, and must, win this election – not just for the Party, but for the people of Ontario”.

Fedeli says he’s focusing on dealing with infighting and fixing issues within the party, promising to ”root out the rot” so its candidates can enter the campaign with confidence.