Rishi Sunak announces his bid to be UK’s next Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak, the ex-Chancellor who lost his bid for leadership against Liz Truss just last month, said he’ll stand in the contest to replace her.

“I want to fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country,” Sunak said in a tweet on Sunday.

The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis.

That’s why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister.

I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022

Sunak already has the support of over 100 Members of Parliament, giving him a certain spot in the race.

Truss’s resignation on Thursday triggered a leadership contest that will make her the shortest-ruling prime minister in British history when she exits this week. Sunak has secured the support of Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch as well as Tom Tugendhat and Sajid Javid – prominent Tories who didn’t back him previously.

Though Sunak is loathed by some Johnson loyalists, his reputation in the broader party has been boosted, because his repeated campaign warnings that Truss’s economic policies would trigger market chaos were largely borne out.