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British politician Rishi Sunak wants to become the leader of the Conservative Party and thus the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. “We live in a great country, but we are dealing with a huge economic crisis,” he said. on Twitter as a reason to apply.
Sunak was Treasury Secretary in Boris Johnson’s government. He made an unsuccessful attempt to become the leader of his party after Johnson’s resignation. He then lost to Liz Truss, who resigned as prime minister on Thursday. She was the shortest female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ever.
Sunak, 42, is a veteran politician and outspoken opponent of Boris Johnson. His departure from the Johnson administration marked the end of the prime minister after several scandals.
According to British media, the former finance minister managed to get enough supporters within the party to participate in the leadership election. On Sunday morning, according to the BBC, the counter hit 130, well above the 100 required to participate.
Two people have now formally applied to lead the Conservative Party. The party’s leader in the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, was the first to say she wanted to participate. However, it does not appear that she actually got the necessary 100 votes from her party’s deputies.
In addition to Sunak and Mordaunt, a possible nomination for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also being discussed. He’s back early from vacation and would like to take part in the leadership fight. He publicly received less support, although his followers within the party swear that he has collected the 100 wanted deputies. Officially, the counter is 55.
Boris Johnson
Johnson’s candidacy is controversial. He resigned in July after a series of scandals. So the party members refused to support him as prime minister anymore. He has been a member of Parliament ever since. His supporters point out that he led the party to huge electoral gains in 2019.
Opponents find it absurd that he is already considering returning so soon after his departure. They state that a parliamentary investigation is still underway into his statements about the banned Partigate drinks that were held at his official residence. Punishment hanging over his head could lead to a driving crisis again in a few months.
If Sunak is the only official candidate with 100 Deputies behind him tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m., he will automatically succeed Liz Truss. And then he will be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. If several candidates meet the requirements, party members can make their decision before Friday.
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