Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is leading the race to be the UK’s next prime minister, garnering the support of 128 Conservative lawmakers on Sunday, after Liz Truss stepped down last week after 45 days in office.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson was lagging behind Sunak, with only 53 supporters, as of Sunday. According to the BBC, Sunak has been holding talks with Johnson, giving rise to the idea that the pair of Tories could be striking up a deal to bring the party back together after a turbulent time post-Brexit; neither Sunak nor Johnson has confirmed what was discussed.
Johnson has yet to formally announce his intention to run.
Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt was the first to announce that she was running to be the next prime minister; yet on Sunday, she had the support of only 23 lawmakers.
Support for Sunak came before he confirmed on Sunday that he was officially running for prime minister. He made a statement on Twitter: “The choice our Party makes now will decide whether the next generation of British people will have more opportunities than the last. That’s why I’m standing to be your next Prime Minister of the Conservative Party.” He added that he aims to “fix our economy, unite our party, and deliver for our country.”
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Truss stepped down after a series of resignations in her cabinet, skyrocketing inflation, and widening party divides. “I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party,” Truss said on Thursday.
In September, Truss defeated Sunak in the race to defeat Johnson.
Truss served as prime minister for just over six weeks, the shortest stint for prime minister in British history, sparking an onslaught of memes, including one that asked which will have the longer shelf life: a head of lettuce or Liz Truss as a leader? Incredibly, Truss also served during the reign of two monarchs–the first to do so since Winston Churchill.
The deadline is 14:00 BST on Monday; if only one candidate emerges with 100 nominations, a new prime minister could be announced late Monday. This will be the UK’s third prime minister this year.
Kelly Rissman
Source link
