After his lone remaining challenger withdrew from the race for the Tory leadership, Rishi Sunak will become the first British Asian prime minister of the United Kingdom, according to the BBC.
Prior to the nomination deadline on Monday, around 200 Conservative MPs declared their support for the former chancellor.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt withdrew after failing to win over enough lawmakers.
The youngest prime minister in more than 200 years will be Mr. Sunak, who will succeed Liz Truss.
Now that the outcome of the Tory leadership race is known, the new prime minister is anticipated to take office within the next few days.
Following the announcement of the outcome by Sir Graham Brady, the head of the 1922 committee of backbencher Conservatives, Mr. Sunak addressed Conservative MPs.
After losing to Ms Truss in the most recent leadership election during the summer, the former chancellor made a quick political return, which was capped by Ms Sunak’s effective coronation as Tory leader.
Ms. Mordaunt announced her withdrawal from the most recent competition minutes before the results were made public, acknowledging that “clearly, colleagues feel we need certainty today.”
In a tweet, Ms. Mordaunt stated that “this choice is historic and once again demonstrates the variety and skill of our party.” “Rishi has my complete backing,”
Jake Berry, the chairman of the Conservative Party, declared that after a protracted period of extreme political unrest under Ms Truss’s administration, it was time for the party to “unite four-square behind Rishi.”
Insisting on a general election, opposition parties claim Mr. Sunak lacks a democratic mandate to serve as prime minister.
After Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Ms. Truss, Mr. Sunak will become the fourth prime minister in a row to assume office without calling a general election.
The Conservatives gained a huge majority in the most recent general election in 2019, therefore the next one isn’t scheduled to happen until at least 2024.
Under the legislative political structure of the UK, Mr. Sunak is not required to call an early election.
Mr. Sunak was elected prime minister “without him saying a single word about how he would administer the country and without anyone having the chance to vote,” according to Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner.
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, claimed that Tory lawmakers had “installed another out-of-touch prime minister without a strategy to undo the harm and without consulting the British people.”
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, urged Mr. Sunak to call an early election rather than “unleash another round of austerity.”
