Rishi Sunak stands to be the favourite to succeed Liz Truss as the leader of the deeply divided Conservative Party and as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, days after Truss announced her resignation as a result of a number of policy reversals, Cabinet reshuffles, and an open revolt against her. In the meantime, Boris Johnson is amassing support for a theatrical comeback to power months after his abrupt resignation while on his way back to the UK from vacation.
If the former chancellor openly confirms his candidacy, he will have the support of at least 100 Tory MPs and will be put to the vote of party members the following week. The party has set a threshold of 100 MPs for candidates to even be placed on the voting ballot, and there are a total of 357 Tory MPs, therefore the most that may run is three.
Penny Mordaunt also formally declared her candidacy for leadership, stating she was heartened by her colleagues’ backing. Mordaunt, the former defence secretary, ran against Boris Johnson for the office of Prime Minister but was defeated by Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. She was one of the staunchly pro-Brexit members of parliament.
I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest.
— Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) October 21, 2022
I’m running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister – to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE.#PM4PM pic.twitter.com/MM0NTHJ5lH
According to an Opinium poll, UK citizens would prefer Sunak and Mordaunt as the future Prime Minister over Johnson. According to Opinium data collected on Thursday night, when asked to select between Sunak and Johnson, 44% preferred Sunak and 31% chose his former boss.
Boris Johnson is returning to London to bolster his support base. Six current Cabinet ministers have backed the former Prime Minister, but some MPs feel his return would send the Conservative Party into a “death spiral,” according to The Guardian. Boris Johnson’s arrival is also clouded by an imminent parliamentary probe into the party gate affair, which was one of the catalysts for a mutiny and his subsequent removal from the top job.
Resignation by Liz Truss
United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned on Thursday 20th October 2022. She resigned from the Prime Ministerial post on the 45th day of joining the office. Truss made the statement outside Downing Street, following her near-complete loss of political power. Liz Truss announced her resignation following the collapse of the markets after her controversial economic policies. She also lost two important ministers, and lose the trust of nearly all of her own MPs. Truss will hold the record for the shortest tenure as prime minister of the UK.
On 5th September 2022, Mary Elizabeth Truss, serving as the Foreign Secretary since 2021, emerged victorious in her race with Rishi Sunak to become the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Liz Truss got over 57% of the votes compared to Sunak, who served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Boris Johnson’s administration before resigning, who could only get just over 42%.
