LONDON — Former British Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to become Britain’s next Prime Minister after his rival Boris Johnson came out on top late Sunday night, paving the way for Mr Sunak to win the ongoing contest to become leader of the Conservative Party.
The race to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister – just days after she announced she was quitting after her economic program collapsed – could be over as early as Monday if Mr Sunak is declared winner.
Mr Johnson said in a statement on Sunday that he had received enough nominations from Conservative lawmakers to run for prime minister but that staying in the race “simply wouldn’t be the right thing to do as a large section of the Conservative Party is not in question would come. I don’t support him. Mr Johnson added that “you cannot govern effectively unless you have a cohesive party in Parliament.”
Mr Sunak appeared to have the upper hand on Sunday after officially announcing he would run for prime minister and vowing to “fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country”.
So far, the 42-year-old former hedge fund manager has garnered the most public support from Tory lawmakers, easily earning the 100 nominations needed to run for Conservative leader and remains the favorite to win. Odds makers earlier on Sunday gave Mr Sunak a 75% chance of becoming the next prime minister.
Mr Johnson, who had not officially entered the race, had been courting the party’s lawmakers to gather the necessary nominations for the candidacy when he was trying to return to Downing Street just months after being ousted following a series of scandals.
The battle to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister after she resigned after her economic program imploded has quickly turned into a politically brutal affair, exposing divisions in the Conservative Party. There’s likely to be plenty more twists and turns as the horse trade continues, lawmakers say.
Mr Sunak is seen in the party as a sure hand that can stabilize markets as the country grapples with double-digit inflation and slowing economic growth. However, a sizeable segment of the Tory party is calling for Mr Johnson to return because of his ability to win elections. The Conservative Party is at historic lows after Ms Truss’ botched tax cut program.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Gatwick Airport near London on Saturday after flying back from a holiday in the Dominican Republic to woo lawmakers.
Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS/Portal
Tory lawmakers were increasingly concerned over the weekend at what they saw as a destructive clash between two of their biggest stars. “We are not a fan club, nor do we organize a popularity contest,” Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch wrote in support of Mr Sunak. “We are the strongest and longest surviving political party in the world.”
On Saturday night, Mr Johnson held talks with Mr Sunak but was unable to reach a compromise that would see them withdrawing. “Boris has come forward but there hasn’t been a deal, he’s in it to win it,” said James Dudderidge, a Conservative lawmaker who supports Mr Johnson’s campaign to return Downing Street. Penny Mordaunt, a cabinet minister who also threw her hat in the ring, is behind the race with just a few dozen public nominations but could still serve as kingmaker.
There are 357 Tory legislators, allowing for three candidates to stand for Prime Minister. If Mr. Sunak is the only one to cross the 100 nomination threshold by Monday afternoon, he will become prime minister. If more than one candidate crosses that threshold, lawmakers vote to reduce it to two, then hold an indicative vote Monday afternoon to show who they would prefer. Then Tory party members will vote online for the winner, who will be announced by Friday.
The events of the past few days have highlighted Mr Johnson’s continued power at the box office.
Thousands of people logged on online to follow Mr Johnson’s flight on Saturday as he flew back to the UK from a holiday in the Dominican Republic to question lawmakers. A tanned Mr Johnson was then photographed on the phone in front of a Union Jack. On Sunday he was at a meeting at 8am and “for the first time for Boris he was smartly dressed!” said Mr Dudderidge.
Critics say Mr Johnson’s chaotic leadership would be potentially disastrous at a time when markets have punished any signs of instability. Mr Johnson was ousted from Downing Street in the summer after 50 members of his government resigned and questioned his integrity following a series of scandals.
A Parliamentary Committee is currently investigating whether Mr Johnson lied to Parliament about parties held at Downing Street during the Covid-19 lockdown. Mr Johnson denied that he did. But the committee could suspend him from Parliament for a few days, potentially ending his term. “It’s a guaranteed, nailed-down failure and we cannot allow that to happen,” said Steve Baker, a Conservative Party lawmaker who influences the party’s right as he backed Mr Sunak. “I’m not willing to give up my integrity for Boris Johnson.”
That argument seemed to prevail on Sunday as Mr Johnson struggled to rally support from the party’s Eurosceptic right wing. A poll by JL Partners found that 21% of voters see Mr Sunak as the best person to restore the “integrity” of British politics, compared with 12% for Mr Johnson.
The enmity between Mr. Sunak and Mr. Johnson runs deep. Mr Johnson appointed Mr Sunak as his chancellor back in 2020, placing him in one of the highest positions in the country. While there, Mr Sunak received praise for helping steer the UK economy through the Covid-19 pandemic but was later criticized by some for raising the tax burden to its highest level in 70 years.
Last summer, Mr Sunak resigned from Mr Johnson’s cabinet, saying they had different views on the economy. The resignation triggered an avalanche of further resignations that forced Mr Johnson out of office.
Shortly thereafter, Mr Sunak appeared in an elaborate video campaigning for the post of prime minister.
Mr Johnson privately supported Ms Truss to take over as Prime Minister instead. Mr Sunak has since been labeled a Tory traitor by many Conservative members for bringing down Mr Johnson. They punished him by appointing Ms. Truss Prime Minister.
On Sunday, Mr. Sunak’s start was much more cautious. There was no video and no press conference. Just a statement posted on Twitter. “There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of government,” he wrote.
write to Max Colchester at [email protected]
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