Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
100 MPs support Sunak in Tory leadership race
LONDON: Rishi Sunak’s supporters claimed on Saturday that the Indian-origin former chancellor has hit the threshold of 100 members of parliament (MPs) required to make it to the shortlist for the race to replace Liz Truss as Conservative Party leader and British Prime Minister.
The 42-year-old front-runner’s tally continues to grow as former prime minister Boris Johnson flew back from his Caribbean holiday to reportedly also join the contest.
“Honoured to be the 100th Tory MP to support #Ready4Rishi,” senior backbencher Tobias Ellwood tweeted, as other backers of Sunak also said he had crossed the barrier.
Johnson’s camp also claimed that he has the requisite minimum of 100 MPs for a possible leadership bid.
Security minister Tom Tugendhat, who ran for leader himself after Johnson was toppled in July, issued a thinly veiled appeal to the scandaltainted ex-leader to stay out of the race. “This is no time for political games, for settling scores, or for looking backwards,” Tugendhat said as he also endorsed Sunak on Friday.
Neither Sunak nor Johnson have officially declared their intention to contest the leadership election, with Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt the only candidate to formally announce her candidacy so far.
All candidates need to secure 100 nominations to be considered for the leadership race before Monday’s 2pm (local time) deadline.
Trade minister Kemi Badenoch
on Saturday backed Sunak to be the next prime minister, ruling herself out of a leadership race she had considered entering.
“Rishi Sunak is the man for the job,” Badenoch said in an article for the Times newspaper.
“Rishi had the right plan in the summer and I think it is the right plan now,” former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab told the BBC. “I think he is the best placed candidate to provide some stability, to provide confidence for the millions of workers and businesses up and down the country,” he said.