Race around 10 Downing Street
Sunak has the necessary supporters together
10/22/2022 2:06 am
In the summer, ex-Finance Minister Sunak lost out to Truss in the Tories’ internal race. But after their rapid political end, the 42-year-old takes a new approach – and a first important hurdle.
British Ex-Finance Secretary Rishi Sunak has gathered the 100 supporters needed to run to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss. “I’m honored to be the 100th Tory MP to endorse ‘#Ready4Rishi’,” Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood tweeted. Other MPs confirmed that Sunak has reached the minimum number of supporters.
Sunak has not yet officially declared his candidacy. He would automatically become party leader and prime minister if his opponents failed to rally 100 supporters each. The most promising candidates are Sunak, leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, who was the first to officially declare her candidacy on Friday, and ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who only stepped down in September.
The candidates should be known by Monday. A maximum of three can run, because each candidate needs at least a hundred supporters from the 357 Conservative MPs in Parliament. After that, MPs either have to agree on two candidates, which party members can vote on by next Friday, or they directly choose a candidate who moves into Downing Street.
Johnson cancels vacation
Sunak was clearly inferior to Truss in the membership survey in the summer for the successor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had resigned at the time. However, he had repeatedly warned against the tax plans, which first caused the economy and then Truss to skid. With the knowledge that he was right, Sunak should go into a new bid for the post of party leader and thus also prime minister strengthened.
However, some members resent his role in the cabinet revolt that led to the fall of Truss’s predecessor, Johnson. In addition, questions about his considerable personal fortune and tax dodges by his family damaged the reputation of Britain’s first Hindu finance minister.
Truss’ predecessor Johnson has already cut short his Caribbean vacation and is on his way to London to be present at Monday’s nominations, according to one of his closest confidants, James Duddridge. Johnson hasn’t officially commented on a possible candidacy either, but Tory heavyweights like former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace signaled their support for “BoJo”.
Mordaunt goes on the offensive
According to a recent poll, 52 percent of Britons are against Johnson’s return to office. 27 percent of those surveyed could imagine this despite all the scandals and criticism of the 58-year-old’s conduct as prime minister. As the Times reported, some Tory MPs have already threatened to resign if Johnson returns.
Mordaunt, who had to answer questions from the opposition about the tax and economic debacle on behalf of Truss on Monday, is the first to officially enter the candidate race. The Brexit advocate is a good speaker and became Britain’s first female defense secretary in 2019. Some see the 49-year-old Royal Navy reservist as a possible compromise candidate for the divided Tories’ presidency.
She was considered one of the early favorites to succeed Johnson over the summer, but narrowly lost to Truss in a battle to take part in the final vote. Critics accuse her of being unsuccessful in her previous government roles.