Sunak

The number of publicly declared MPs who are backing potential candidates for the Conservative leadership is growing, with three key figures emerging: the ...

16 James Davies 16 James Duddridge Each candidate will need at least 100 signatures to make it to the first round of voting on Monday.

Former PM's allies say he will easily make threshold of 100 MPs, while critics warn of potential defections.

A senior former cabinet minister said the risk with Johnson was that “you never know where the next embarrassment is going to come from”. One senior backbench Tory said: “It looks to me like he’ll get the 100 nominations. Johnson will argue that only he has the ability to win an election, despite an Opinium poll suggesting Sunak would do better against Labour’s Keir Starmer. Jesse Norman, a senior Tory MP and Foreign Office minister, said returning to Johnson would be a disaster. But choosing Boris now would be – and I say this advisedly – an absolutely catastrophic decision,” he said. He said: ‘I’m flying back, Dudders, we are going to do this.

Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson may be the current favourites to replace Liz Truss, but both are loathed by their rival camps within the Tory Party.

The opposition parties, obviously, want a general election with polls pointing to a Tory wipeout. 10 says that's up to the new PM. Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson may be the current favourites to replace Liz Truss, but both are loathed by their rival camps within the Tory Party. Will Jeremy Hunt's Halloween rescue plan for the economy go ahead? Mr Johnson is a massively divisive figure. A YouGov poll this week suggested he'd be backed by 33% of members, ahead of Mr Sunak with just 23%.

Rishi Sunak is back in the frame for high office as the Conservatives seek a new leader to follow Liz Truss as prime minister.

It's a bad time and I don't think the country's ready for one." "A lot of people are seriously struggling now and not only struggling financially but really worried. "I felt very sorry for Liz Truss. "It's just chaos and I don't know who is the best person for the job, I think it's about who is the least worst. I don't think she was given a fair chance, I don't think the men [in the party] wanted her to have the chance, really." "He's been here several times and he seems energetic, decent, with good ideas.

'Possibly gone by Christmas': Sunak supporters think Partygate probe would derail Johnson premiership.

And there’s the contrast: more of this chaos or stability under a Labour government.” But he said Sir Keir’s party was “terrified of Boris because he is a winner and they know it”. The leader of the Commons announced her candidacy in a tweet with the hashtag #PM4PM, declaring: “I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest. “The risk is continuing with this chaos.” “Boris Johnson was removed for a reason,” said the former Treasury minister. Even among Conservative voters from the 2019 general election, little more than half (56 per cent) would be happy to see him back in power less than two months after handing over to Ms Truss. [Penny Mordaunt](/topic/penny-mordaunt), third-placed in the summer’s leadership contest, became the first to publicly declare her candidacy, promising a “fresh start”. It’s hardly the stability and unity everyone is calling for.” [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) "Will he even make it that far?” said the MP. Mr Sunak was preferred over Ms Mordaunt by 45-23 per cent. Mr Sunak was buoyed by the nomination of his predecessor as chancellor, Sajid Javid – who took a swipe at Mr Johnson by saying the Tories need to “move on from the mistakes of the past” – as well as former environment secretary George Eustice.

Huntingdon MP Jonathan Djanogly has declared his support for Rishi Sunak to become the new Conservative Party leader and prime minister.

He is not the man to get us out of this!" Be very careful what you wish for." [Are you ready for Rishi?

However, the ex-Chancellor was still believed to be trailing former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the number of MPs who have signalled who they are backing.

Have confirmed to my constituents on Radio Glos am in no doubt that person is Rishi Sunak.” But Mr Sunak was seeing the most new MPs backing him early on Friday, which may be a sign that his campaign is more advanced than his rivals. “They have caused huge amounts of damage. Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg became the first Cabinet backer of MrJohnson on Friday morning. “He has been tested in the second highest office of state as chancellor and I think he will bring the same calm competence to the job as prime minister.” Newark MP Robert Jenrick added: “I’m backing @RishiSunak to be our Prime Minister.“Rishi will restore public confidence in our party and market confidence in our economy.” Penny Mordaunt is not currently working on a leadership bid, though the Cabinet minister is “taking soundings” from colleagues on the prospect of her standing to replace Liz Truss, an ally of the MP has said. “At the moment she’s been taking soundings from her colleagues and has been busy speaking to as many as she can.” Former chancellor Rishi Sunak is the best person to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister because he brings “calm competence” at a time of economic trouble, a Conservative MP has said. “The volatility in the financial markets that has added to government borrowing costs but also the borrowing costs for home owners – the truth is just passing around the prime minister, the chancellor job like it is some sort of game of pass the parcel is not going to provide the country with the leadership and stability that we desperately need. A staunch loyalist of the former prime minister, Mr Rees-Mogg tweeted a graphic that said “I’m Backing Boris” alongside the hashtag “#BORISorBUST”. A staunch loyalist of the former prime minister, Mr Rees-Mogg tweeted a graphic that said "I'm Backing Boris" alongside the hashtag "#BORISorBUST".

Boris Johnson and former finance minister Rishi Sunak were leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, ...

has now been very, very badly tarnished, and it may be very difficult to recover within the space of two years." [Truss quit](/world/uk/uk-pm-truss-threatens-disciplinary-action-against-rebel-lawmakers-2022-10-20/) on Thursday after the shortest, most chaotic tenure of any British prime minister after her economic programme shattered the country's reputation for financial stability and left many people poorer. Mordaunt is seen as a fresh pair of hands largely untainted by earlier administrations. Running in third is Penny Mordaunt, a former defence minister popular with Conservative Party members. He can turn it around again. With the Conservatives all but facing a wipe out in the next national election according to opinion polls, the race is on to become the fifth British premier in six years.

Rishi Sunak, who lost the last Conservative leadership race in a runoff against Liz Truss, has gained the most public support of Members of Parliament to ...

Conservative MPs are choosing the third Prime Minister of the year as Boris Johnson eyes a controversial comeback.

- James Davies If only one candidate gets 100 votes, they will become leader after an MPs' vote on Monday. Rishi Sunak is in the lead with Penny Mordaunt coming third.