Rishi Sunak consolidates early lead in race to be British PM
Rishi Sunak held an early advantage in the latest race for the Conservative Party leadership, with the former chancellor securing the backing of at least 100 Tory MPs and ensuring he will proceed to the ballot of party members next week if he publicly declares his candidacy.
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood tweeted late Friday that he was “honored” to take Sunak to the three-figure threshold.
A maximum of three Tory MPs will be able to run, as the party has set a threshold of 100 MPs for candidates to even get on the ballot paper, and there are a total of 357 MPs in the party.
As of early Saturday, Penny Mordaunt was the only candidate to officially enter the contest for the Tory leadership, while newspapers reported former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to enter the fray.
According to a poll, UK voters would prefer Sunak and Mordaunt over Johnson as the next PM. When asked to choose between Sunak or Johnson, 44 percent chose Sunak, and 31 percent chose his former boss, research conducted on Thursday night found.