Britain’s former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday declared his candidature to contest the UK Prime Ministerial race after Liz Truss resigned as PM.
The former Chancellor of the Exchequer of Indian descent confirmed the decision through social media and said that he wants to fix Britain’s economy which is in a major crisis at present. In a tweet, Sunak said, “The United Kingdom is a great country, but we face a profound economic crisis. That’s why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister.”
“I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country,” Sunak wrote.
Sunak’s announcement comes after Truss’ resignation as Prime Minister on Thursday as the opposition reiterated its demand for a general election.
Tory MPs will vote on Monday, and two candidates will be put forward to the leadership unless one backpedals from the race. The result will be announced on Friday, 28 October.
On Friday, Penny Mordaunt, the Tory leader in the House of Commons too threw her hat in the ring. “I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest,” Mordaunt tweeted.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson also landed in Britain on Saturday from a Caribbean holiday to launch a formal bid for the Conservative Party leadership. Johnson was forced to step down on 7 July following a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership.
However, Johnson now expressed his willingness to enter the PM race, saying he is “up for it.”
Meanwhile, Suella Braverman, the former British home secretary who resigned the day before Truss stepped down, has endorsed Sunak to be prime minister. Reportedly, a large section of party legislators are in favour of Sunak.
Truss became the shortest-serving British PM after she stepped down just 45 days after she was elected as Britain’s leader, stating that she recognizes she “cannot deliver the mandate” on which she was elected. Truss said she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week.
