Sunak announces candidacy as the next UK PM as Johnson mulls a comeback attempt
Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak announced his candidacy Sunday to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom in a bid to "turn around" the country's economy and "unite" the Conservative party.
"There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done," Sunak said in a statement.
Sunak has the backing of at least 124 Conservative lawmakers, according to unofficial tallies by the BBC and Sky News. That is well ahead of the 100 nominations required to qualify.
Sunak is the frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister, forging ahead of his two main rivals — ousted former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt.
But widespread uncertainty remained after British media reported that Sunak had held late-night talks with Johnson on Saturday.
Speculation mounted that the pair could strike a deal to unite the fractured governing party after it was left reeling from Truss' rapid downfall.
The Conservative Party has ordered a contest that aims to finalise nominations Monday and install a new prime minister — the country's third this year — within a week.
Mordaunt garnered about 24 lawmakers' public support, while Johnson, who has not declared if he is running, has about 50 so far. Lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg told the BBC Sunday he spoke to Johnson, and "clearly he's going to stand".
The return of Johnson — who was forced out of office just weeks ago by a string of ethics scandals — has divided the Conservatives and thrown unpredictability into the race.
Supporters say he is a vote winner and has enough support from lawmakers, but many critics warn that another
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