Indian-origin MP Rishi Sunak looks all set to become the next British Prime Minister as Boris Johnson, who was plotting a dramatic return to power, withdrew from the contest, saying although he had enough support to make the final ballot he realised the country and the Conservative Party needed unity. Rishi Sunak races ahead of Penny Mordaunt, may become UK PM today.
Rishi Sunak first became an MP in 2015. He was elected from Richmond, Yorkshire. Sunak quickly rose through the Conservative party ranks and backed calls for ‘Brexit’. He was one of the supporters of Boris Johnson during his ‘leave EU’ campaign.
Some of the key Cabinet ministers are throwing their weight behind Rishi Sunak including Home Secretary Grant Shapps, International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Here are the top developments.
The nominations for Conservative party leadership race closes at 6:30 pm on Monday. If there is only one candidate with over 100 nominations from lawmakers, that person will be announced as the winner. Rishi Sunak has the backing of 147 MPs and is a clear favourite for the top post.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled out of the race saying he had the numbers and could have returned to 10 Downing Street but “it would not be the right thing to do.” Johnson claimed that he is “well placed” to deliver a victory in the 2024 general election. At the time of his announcement, the former prime minister had the public backing of over 50 MPs.
“There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days, I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament,” he said.
This development came at the back of two crucial meeting Boris Johnson had with Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt. He could not bring either of them to his side. Penny Mordaunt in fact indicated that if she were to pull out she would back Rishi and not Boris.
Penny Mordaunt, the other candidate in the race, now has a few hours to drum up the support of MPs who were earlier backing Boris Johnson. She promises to deliver disciplined and honest government, as she tries to find more backers ahead of the deadline. At present, only 25 MPs have publicly backed the former defence secretary, the BBC reported.
The other big development came within hours after Johnson’s withdrawal. Sunak publicly praised Boris Johnson for his achievements in Downing Street. It was Sunak’s resignation that triggered a massive Cabinet revolt amid scandals and allegations of misconduct that brought an end to Boris Johnson-led government in the UK.
“He led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine. We will always be grateful to him for that,” Sunak said in a tweet.
Rishi Sunak entered the election fray on Sunday saying he wants to fix the economy, unite his party and deliver for the country. The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities, if we make the right choices, are phenomenal, he said.
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Sunak who served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson quit after his popularity took a hit following the ‘partygate’ scandal — that involved a breach of Covid rules and hosting lockdown parties at government offices. He was one of the officials fined by the London Police.
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