Sunak, 42, signed up for the role for the second time in less than four months. Over the summer, the former UK chancellor raced to the final lap to replace Boris Johnson before losing to Truss when party members voted.
Not much known before Johnson’s promotion as finance minister in 2020, Sunak has since earned a reputation for his attention to financial details and a pragmatic approach to managing the nation’s finances. coronavirus pandemic. Alongside Johnson, the duo became a kind of opposing dual act at the top of the British government: the Prime Minister addressed the public with his unique humor, while the Altar played the role of the sensible accountant in the room.
Sunday’s announcement makes Sunak the first and so far the only officially announced candidate to collect the 100 parliamentary nominations that must appear on the party’s ballot by 2pm Monday, according to public figures. If more than one candidate passes the threshold, members of Parliament will select two candidates to be put to an online vote by party members, 28th with expected results in October.
On Sunday, Sunak’s strongest opponent appeared to be former prime minister Johnson, whose resignation this July kicked off Britain’s current bout of political chaos. in itself resignation As Johnson’s finance minister, which caused others to resign and eventually forced Johnson to resign, Sunak said the people deserve a government that runs it “properly, competently and seriously”.
Saturday News in the British media He said the two men who once worked side by side were meeting late at night, leading to speculation that the two could come to an agreement that they could set aside the competition and form a joint ticket.
If eventually elected, Sunak will become the country’s first prime minister. of South Asian descent. He was born in Southampton, England, to a family of Indian descent who had immigrated from East Africa.
A number of Conservative lawmakers and former Johnson allies, including former cabinet members Sajid Javid and Gavin WilliamsonThey declared their support for Sunak.
In a major blow for the altar camp, Suella Braverman, a rising star on the party’s right wing and whose resignation as interior minister last week precipitated Truss’ resignation, also threw her weight behind the former finance minister, “the dreadful straits the country is currently in”.
“I need a leader who will put our house in order and apply a steady, careful hand to the tiller. This person to me is Rishi Sunak,” he wrote. Telegram newspaper sunday.
And in a significant blow to Johnson’s luck, David Frost, who was responsible for negotiating the UK’s Brexit deal and was later given a seat in the House of Lords by Johnson, declared on Saturday that it was time to “go ahead” from the former prime minister. minister.
Boris Johnson will always be a hero to make Brexit happen.
But we must continue. It is not right to risk repeating the chaos and confusion of last year.
The Conservative Party should get behind a talented leader who can deliver a Conservative program. well @RishiSunak. 1/2
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) October 22, 2022
Many of Sunak’s supporters are trying to portray the former finance minister as a stabilizing candidate who can end the chaos of recent months. Altar supporters noted that in the previous leadership contest against Truss this summer, his candidacy garnered the most support from his colleagues in the legislature.
But critics within the Conservative Party said he lost touch with the electorate and accused him of infidelity Johnson – a major source of contention for many grassroots members of the party for which the former leader remains unpopular.
Educated at one of the most prestigious universities in England Private schools – like Johnson – Altar has a sparkling resume with degrees from Oxford University and Stanford University and a stint at Goldman Sachs. One of the wealthiest British politicians is married to Indian tech heir Akshata Murthy, whose tax affairs caused the former chancellor to cause some political problems. discomfort during the summer leadership campaign.
And a video clip 2007 BBC documentaryWhat Sunak claims doesn’t have any “working-class friends” is circulating online as some Brits frown on the lineup of upper-class Conservative contestants.
Still, Sunak remains popular with politicians of his own party, although less successful among the Conservative Party’s national membership, which favored Truss at 57.4 percent to 42.6 percent in September.
For his supporters, Altar is a steady hand on the economic tiller, as he accurately predicts the market crisis caused by Truss’ policies that cut taxes and devalued the British pound. He sought economic reforms proposed by Truss. “fairy” economy An assessment that is likely to give confidence in the image of financial responsibility before taking office.
One blemish on his track record, however, is his connection to it. “Party Gate” The scandal that overthrew the Johnson government. Like its boss, the Altar Fined by London Metropolitan Police While in office to attend meetings at 10 Downing Street, Britons under heavy government imposition coronavirus locking restrictions. And some critics, like the former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan SmithHe noted that the UK’s record high inflation levels began when he was chancellor.
early on Sunday, number of BBC Of the Conservative members of parliament that he made public, Altar awarded 132, 55 for Johnson, and 23 for Penny Mordaunt.
