The betting odds also continue to rise in his favour
Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak outside his home in London on Saturday. Pic/AP
Rishi Sunak’s supporters claimed on Saturday that the Indian-origin former chancellor has hit the threshold of 100 members of Parliament required to make it to the shortlist for the race to replace Liz Truss as Conservative Party leader and British PM.
The 42-year-old frontrunner’s tally continues to grow even as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson flies back from his Caribbean holiday to also join the contest. Johnson was pictured by a news agency on a flight back to London from the Dominican Republic with his wife and children. Boris Johnson has enough support to enter the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, his ally and Conservative lawmaker James Duddridge said on Saturday, reporting that the former leader had reached the 100 endorsement threshold.
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Neither Sunak nor Johnson have officially declared their intention to contest the leadership election, yet the Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate to formally announce her candidacy so far. However, the former finance minister has taken a comfortable lead with some heavyweight ministers and MPs from different factions of the Tory party throwing their weight behind him. The betting odds also continue to rise in his favour.
“Rishi had the right plan in the summer and I think it is the right plan now,” former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said. “I think he is the best-placed candidate to provide some stability, to provide confidence for the millions of workers and businesses up and down the country,” he said. Raab also warned against a comeback by the party gate scandal-hit former leader, Johnson, just over three months after being forced to resign, pointing out that the UK Parliament is still conducting an inquiry. There is widespread speculation among backers of both candidates that Sunak and Johnson may strike some kind of a deal.
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