Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announces his candidacy to lead the Conservative Party

“The UK is a great country, but we are facing a deep economic crisis. The election of our party also makes us decide whether new generations of Britons will have more chances than their predecessors. That is why I am nominated for the position of new Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party,” he explained in his letter which was Head of economics during the government of Boris Johnson and one of the main proponents of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

conservatives They started the internal process of dissolving their new leadership After Liz Truss resigned on Thursday from her position as party leader and prime minister of the country over a controversial financial program that has strained markets and endangered the country’s financial stability.

Candidates to lead the formation have until Monday at 2:00 pm local time (3:00 pm peninsula) to make their candidacy official and provide the support of at least one hundred deputies from their seats. If two or three candidates reach the minimum – which is possible – two rounds of voting will be held by MPs. The first vote will take place on Monday at 3:30 pm, and the results will be announced at 6:00 pm. The second round, if necessary, will take place on the same night, with the final result at 9:00 pm.

As of this morning, only the leader of the Conservative group in the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, has formally submitted her leadership nomination. But during the day, several Tory MPs publicly declared their support. Both Sunak, who yesterday had already 125 public endorsements, and Boris Johnson, who despite not announcing his intention to introduce himself yesterday, caused an astonishing uproar in his country when he landed in London after a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

A source from the former prime minister’s campaign told the BBC this Saturday that he had 100 essential supporters, although only 53 had publicly supported him, according to British media statistics, including former Home Secretary Priti Patel, who said yesterday. He praised the virtues of the prime minister’s leadership that crystallized Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Sunak, for his part, last night secured the support of International Trade Secretary Kimi Badenouche (who once backed Truss), who insisted that the party was “not a vehicle for the personal ambitions of an individual,” referring to Johnson. . Following his decision this Sunday, other party weights gave him their public backing, such as Interior Minister Gran Shapps. So far, according to the Guardian’s statistics, Sunak has the support of 130 deputies. During these movements, the two main candidates made a talk yesterday, amid speculation that an agreement could be reached that lays the foundations for the formation of a conservative unity government.

This is not the first time that Johnson’s former economics chief has attempted to lead the party. Sunak was one of the ministers who precipitated his resignation last July with the conservative leader’s theatrical downfall after scandals erupted around his party during the pandemic. Following Johnson’s resignation last summer, the former “Conservative” minister announced that he would lead the party, and thus the country, in a race that ended up giving in to Truss.

In his resignation letter, Sunak distanced himself from the CEO’s lack of “seriousness and competence” and focused heavily on the need for a new economic strategy. However, the former minister was also affected by the Downing Street party scandal Party Gate for which he was fined. Although he had always defended that he was just passing through, Sunak had to apologize.

controversy over it For financial arrangements for your family He has also undermined in recent weeks the huge popularity he has gained at press conferences explaining aid plans for COVID-19, which he quickly approved to keep families and businesses afloat and earn him public recognition. It is not surprising that Sunack will once again rely on economic reasons to confirm his candidacy that he will not have as many competitors in it as he had in the summer, although everything seems to indicate that he will have to fight the prime minister who appointed him and that despite the scandals. It is still very popular among some sectors of the party and the population.

Sunak became chancellor on February 13, 2020, replacing Javid, who also resigned for the first time due to disagreements with Johnson. Previously, he has been Head of the Treasury since July 2019, after making his first appearance as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons in 2015 after a career in the financial sector. He held positions at several financial firms, including investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Sunak grew up in Southampton, southern England, and is the grandson of immigrants from the Indian region of Punjab, who came to the UK in the 1960s from East Africa. He was educated at Elite Private School in Winchester and graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE, in English) from Oxford English University.

Known for his political profile, he is known to have supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 consultations and backed the deal negotiated with Brussels by former Prime Minister Theresa May, which Parliament rejected three times.