Rishi Sunak Leads UK PM Race; Already Has Support Of 100 MPs: Reports

London: In the midst of increasing political unrest in the UK, a media report indicated on Saturday that former chancellor Rishi Sunak has already breached the 100 MP endorsement mark to enter the race to become the next prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party.

The former prime minister Boris Johnson is in second place with 44 endorsements and is scheduled to arrive in London on Saturday following a vacation in the Caribbean.

Sunak and Johnson are yet to formally announce their candidacies in the race to follow Liz Truss, who resigned as prime minister on Thursday after serving for just 45 days, the lowest tenure ever for a British premier.

Sunak has received support from a number of high-ranking colleagues, including former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, according to insiders with Sunak’s campaign.

“It is abundantly clear that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to match the challenges we face, he is the right person to lead our party and take the country forward,” Javid said.

Another backer, Tobias Ellwood, claimed he was the 100th MP to endorse Sunak, saying: “Time for centrist, stable, fiscally responsible government offering credible domestic & international leadership.” Speaking to the BBC on Friday night, Trade Minister James Duddridge, a Johnson supporter, said the former Prime Minister had “momentum and support” “He is coming home and is up for it. He is the only election winner we have that has a proven track record in London, on Brexit, and in gaining the mandate we have now,” he added.

The leader of the Commons at the moment, Penny Mordaunt, is another candidate and has garnered 21 votes thus far. She was the first to announce that she was a candidate.

The candidates have until October 24 at 2:00 PM to collect the necessary 100 endorsements. According to another report, if three candidates meet the requirement, Conservative MPs will remove one in a vote on the same day.

The last two candidates will be the subject of an “indicative” vote by MPs, and on October 28 party members will cast an online poll to choose the winner.