[UK] Rishi Sunak will be the next British prime minister

Rishi Sunak has become the new Conservative leader and will be the UK’s next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt followed Boris Johnson in pulling out of the running just minutes before the party was scheduled to announce how many MPs had backed each candidate, The Guardian reports.

Two minutes before the 2pm nomination process closure, Ms Mordaunt appeared to acknowledge that she had not reached the necessary 100 MP threshold to progress when she tweeted that she had pulled out and that Mr Sunak had her “full support”.

Within five minutes, Sir Graham Brady - the chair of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee - formally announced the result reportedly saying, “I can confirm that we have one valid nomination, and Rishi Sunak is elected as leader of the Conservative party.”

Mr Sunak will formally take over as prime minister from Liz Truss, most likely on October 25, after meeting the king at Buckingham palace. At that point, Ms Truss would have served only 50 days in the role.

The king is reportedly travelling back to London from his Sandringham estate in Norfolk this afternoon (October 24).

Rishi Sunak is the former UK chancellor who came second in the leadership contest against Ms Truss this summer. He had secured the backing of more than half the parliamentary party by this morning.

Mr Sunak - whose parents are of Punjabi Indian heritage - will be the first person of colour to become British prime minister. He is not the first minority ethnic PM; Benjamin Disraeli, who held the office twice between 1868 and 1880, was of Jewish heritage. At the age of 42, Mr Sunak is the youngest prime minister for more than 200 years.

His victory was gained without a single formal vote being cast, even by MPs and has reignited calls for a general election. Mr Sunak will be the third Conservative PM since Boris Johnson won in 2019 and some perceive the way he achieved his win as a coronation.

Angela Rayner MP - Labour’s deputy leader - said, “The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak as prime minister without him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote.

“Rishi Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need. We need a general election so the public get a say on the future of Britain; and the chance for a fresh start with Labour.”

Ed Davey - the Liberal Democrat leader - reportedly said Tory MPs had “installed another out-of-touch prime minister with no plan to repair the damage and without giving the British people a say”.

In her statement, Ms Mordaunt - who reportedly remained stuck on about 90 nominations - said, “These are unprecedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest, it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country.

“Members should know that this proposition has been fairly and thoroughly tested by the agreed 1922 [Committee] process. As a result, we have now chosen our next prime minister. This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party. Rishi has my full support.”

The candidates had been due to submit their nominations from at least 100 MPs by today at 2pm, but former PM Boris Johnson withdrew on Sunday night, saying he had reached the threshold but believed it was not enough to cement party unity.

Mr Sunak is the only remaining candidate in the race therefore the 150,000 Tory members will be denied a say on who becomes the next prime minister.

However, Conservative MPs had already made it clear that Sunak was their preferred choice after members previously picked Truss, whose disastrous 44 days at the top led to financial turmoil and her resignation last week.

Source: The Guardian

(Quotes via original reporting)

Rishi Sunak has become the new Conservative leader and will be the UK’s next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt followed Boris Johnson in pulling out of the running just minutes before the party was scheduled to announce how many MPs had backed each candidate, The Guardian reports.

Two minutes before the 2pm nomination process closure, Ms Mordaunt appeared to acknowledge that she had not reached the necessary 100 MP threshold to progress when she tweeted that she had pulled out and that Mr Sunak had her “full support”.

Within five minutes, Sir Graham Brady - the chair of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee - formally announced the result reportedly saying, “I can confirm that we have one valid nomination, and Rishi Sunak is elected as leader of the Conservative party.”

Mr Sunak will formally take over as prime minister from Liz Truss, most likely on October 25, after meeting the king at Buckingham palace. At that point, Ms Truss would have served only 50 days in the role.

The king is reportedly travelling back to London from his Sandringham estate in Norfolk this afternoon (October 24).

Rishi Sunak is the former UK chancellor who came second in the leadership contest against Ms Truss this summer. He had secured the backing of more than half the parliamentary party by this morning.

Mr Sunak - whose parents are of Punjabi Indian heritage - will be the first person of colour to become British prime minister. He is not the first minority ethnic PM; Benjamin Disraeli, who held the office twice between 1868 and 1880, was of Jewish heritage. At the age of 42, Mr Sunak is the youngest prime minister for more than 200 years.

His victory was gained without a single formal vote being cast, even by MPs and has reignited calls for a general election. Mr Sunak will be the third Conservative PM since Boris Johnson won in 2019 and some perceive the way he achieved his win as a coronation.

Angela Rayner MP - Labour’s deputy leader - said, “The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak as prime minister without him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote.

“Rishi Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need. We need a general election so the public get a say on the future of Britain; and the chance for a fresh start with Labour.”

Ed Davey - the Liberal Democrat leader - reportedly said Tory MPs had “installed another out-of-touch prime minister with no plan to repair the damage and without giving the British people a say”.

In her statement, Ms Mordaunt - who reportedly remained stuck on about 90 nominations - said, “These are unprecedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest, it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country.

“Members should know that this proposition has been fairly and thoroughly tested by the agreed 1922 [Committee] process. As a result, we have now chosen our next prime minister. This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party. Rishi has my full support.”

The candidates had been due to submit their nominations from at least 100 MPs by today at 2pm, but former PM Boris Johnson withdrew on Sunday night, saying he had reached the threshold but believed it was not enough to cement party unity.

Mr Sunak is the only remaining candidate in the race therefore the 150,000 Tory members will be denied a say on who becomes the next prime minister.

However, Conservative MPs had already made it clear that Sunak was their preferred choice after members previously picked Truss, whose disastrous 44 days at the top led to financial turmoil and her resignation last week.

Source: The Guardian

(Quotes via original reporting)