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Boris Johnson’s former Treasury Minister will become the next British prime minister, after his only rival, Penny Mordaunt, announced his withdrawal from the Conservative Party internal elections, which Johnson had also resigned on Sunday. The 42-year-old parliamentarian, the youngest prime minister in two centuries and the only one of Indian origin, will have to deal with a political and economic crisis that has already dragged down two leaders.
Rishi Sunak will become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after prevailing as leader of the Conservative Party thanks to the support of more than half of the ‘Tory’ deputies and the withdrawal of fellow candidates Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt.
After the resignation of Liz Truss, who was in office for 44 days, the ‘Tories’ party began an accelerated campaign to replace her, so accelerated that at the time that Sunak officially announced her candidacy, at the same time the contest.
The British networks had announced that the former Treasury Minister had the public support of at least 180 deputies out of a total of 357 seats, while Penny Mordaunt, who was initially the favorite to take office, had only received the support of 25 deputies .
Although Sunak had lost the chance to be party leader and premier in August, this time he took the lead over Boris Johnson. Especially after this October 24, the former premier announced that he would not appear in these primaries, alleging that it would be very difficult to govern effectively with a fractured Parliament.
The former prime minister had previously secured the public support of less than 60 conservative lawmakers, a far cry from those announced by Sunak.
“I think I have a lot to offer, but I’m afraid this is just not the right time,” Johnson said Sunday night.
Sunak had been one of the biggest critics of Liz Truss’s economic tax cut plans, which forced her to resign after a short term in office.
The Southampton-born politician had said his plans were “reckless and would wreak havoc”, as happened after Truss’s tax-cut package devalued sterling and sent markets into a panic.
The obstacles that Sunak, the first president of Indian origin, had to overcome
The parliamentarian managed to put aside the accusations of his opponents, who had accused him of being a “traitor” for resigning from the Johnson government when the former prime minister was involved in a series of scandals that made him resign last July.
“I served as your chancellor, helping to steer our economy through the most difficult times … The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities, if we make the right decision, are phenomenal,” Sunak said Sunday, through a campaign statement.
After Johnson’s refusal, many of his followers announced their support for Sunak, assuring that the country needs a period of stability, as did the minister of the cabinet office, Nadhim Zahaw: “Rishi is immensely talented, he will have a strong majority in the parliamentary Conservative Party and will have my full support and loyalty.
Sunak is a billionaire ex-banker who studied at Britain’s elite schools and is an advocate of budgetary orthodoxy, which many right-wing lawmakers say is what is required to reassure markets.
The 42-year-old parliamentarian will thus become the youngest prime minister in 200 years, in addition to being the first leader of Indian origin in the United Kingdom, an appointment that comes at the start of Diwali, an important Hindu festival that is very popular among the indo-british.
An election that lasted less than expected
The election process for the new British Prime Minister was organized by the 1922 Committee, which brings together deputies without ministerial positions. Usually, after knowing the list of candidates, parliamentarians must carry out a series of votes.
The time of this process depends on the number of candidates that exist. To choose Johnson’s successor, it took a total of two months. However, this time there was no need to carry out the entire process since only Sunak remained as a candidate.
After her resignation, Truss herself had announced that the 1922 Committee promised to elect her replacement in less than a week so as not to aggravate the situation in the United Kingdom, and the result was expected to be announced on October 28.
During the next few days, Sunak will have to attend an audience with the new King Carlos III to assume his new position.
With EFE and AP
