Rishi Sunak one step closer to be elected UK PM on Diwali

Rishi Sunak is one step closer as the clear frontrunner in the Conservative Party leadership race on Monday to be elected Britains first Indianorigin Prime Minister after his former boss Boris Johnson confirmed he would be pulling out of the contestWith the former prime minister stepping aside on Sunday night saying it was simply not the right time for his comeback the prospect of a Diwali victory for Sunak cannot be ruled outThe 42yearold former chancellor who said he wanted to fix our economy unite our party and deliver for our country when he declared his candidacy has held a solid lead in the contest having comfortably surpassed the 100MPs threshold to make the shortlist in time for the 1400 local time Monday deadlineLeader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt the only other contestant in the race has much ground to cover to hit the 100MPs mark giving rise to the possibility that the former finance minister may well be declared the new leader as soon as Monday eveningIf Sunak and Mordaunt both make the final shortlist they would go forward for an online vote of the 170000 Tory membership and that result on Friday would prove less predictableAlso Read Rishi Sunak declares candidacy to be new UK PM and fix economyA Sunak victory would mark a remarkable turnaround in political fortunes for the former finance minister who lost out to outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss just last month after his popularity among party colleagues did not translate in the wider Tory membership voteTruss on Thursday announced her resignation as the Prime Minister after just 45 days in office following an open revolt against her leadership in the Conservative PartyI am asking you for the opportunity to help fix our problems said Sunak in his latest campaign pitch with reference to the economic turmoil he would be inheriting if he does go on to succeed Truss following a disastrous taxcutting minibudget last monthThe United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis Thats why I am standing to be leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister he said promising integrity professionalism and accountability at every level of the government that he would lead and to work day in and day out to get the job doneThe UKborn son of Indianorigin general practitioner father Yashvir and pharmacist mother Usha had spoken extensively of his migrant roots during the last campaign and also referenced making history by lighting Diwali diyas at 11 Downing Street as the first Indianorigin Chancellor of the ExchequerSixty years after my Naniji boarded a plane in East Africa on a warm sunny evening in October her greatgrandaughters my kids played in the street outside our home painted Rangoli on the doorstep lit sparklers and diyas had fun like so many other families on Diwali Except the street was Downing Street and the door was the door to No 11 said Sunak in his campaign video a few months agoThat personal story also extended to a visibly emotional reference to his parentsinlaw Infosys cofounder Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy as he hit back at attacks on his wife Akshata Murthys family wealthIm actually incredibly proud of what my parentsinlaw built he said during heated television debates over the past few monthsAs a devout Hindu Sunak is a regular at the temple where he was born in Southampton and his daughters Anoushka and Krishna are also rooted in the Indian cultureHe recently shared how Anoushka performed Kuchipudi with her classmates for the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Westminster Abbey in JuneBut beyond the personal he also faced down attacks from his opponents over his record as Chancellor until his resignation precipitated Johnsons exitHe stood firm on his focus on inflation rather than any votewinning tax cut promises to woo a traditionally lowtax favouring Conservative Party membership baseI will get taxes down in this Parliament but Im going to do so responsibly I dont cut taxes to win elections I win elections to cut taxes he declaredHis selfmade credentials of working his way through a nonscholarship place at one of the UKs best schools Winchester College to a coveted Philosophy Politics and Economics PPE from Oxford University and then an MBA from Stanford University as a Fulbright Scholar tick all the right boxes for the countrys highest political officeHis private sector experience at Goldman Sachs and as a hedge fund manager seem to lend him the aura of someone who can be trusted in the face of harsh economic headwinds further bolstered by his prescient warnings over Truss unfunded tax cutsHis political career began with winning a safe Tory seat of Richmond in Yorkshire in 2015 and from junior roles in the Treasury he was suddenly catapulted to the post of Chancellor of Exchequer when his former boss Sajid Javid resigned in February 2020He proved the doubters who feared his inexperience of high office would see him overpowered by his new boss Johnson wrong as he credibly led the economic response to the Covid pandemicHe was constantly touted as the heir apparent to Johnson until that took a beating with some of his less popular tax hike policies in the wake of the pandemic and a partygate fine for attending a birthday event for his exboss in breach of lockdown rulesIn the latest chapter the duo found themselves pitched for another face off for the top job in British politicsThis round seems to be firmly titled in favour of Sunak and if he goes on to be elected the third British Prime Minister in three months he faces the tough task of trying to unite a deeply divided Tory party at one of the most perilous times for the British economyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason 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