Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak Launches Bid To Succeed Boris Johnson As UK PM

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak launched a bid to become the next leader of the Conservative party and prime minister of the UK.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Rishi Sunak)

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Friday, 8 July launched a bid to become the next leader of the Conservative party and prime minister of the United Kingdom, following PM Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday, 7 July.

In a campaign video released on Twitter, Sunak said, “Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions. That's why I'm standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your prime minister.”

“The decisions we make today will decide whether the next generation of British people will also have the chance of a better future,” Sunak said.

In the video, Sunak shares a story of his grandmother who boarded a plane to England as a young woman "armed with hope for a better life."

"Do we confront this moment with honesty, seriousness, and determination, or do we tell ourselves comforting fairy tales that might make us feel better in the moment, but will leave our children worse off tomorrow,” he added in his campaign video on Twitter.

Sunak, the first Indian-origin politician to hold the office of chancellor of the Exchequer, shockingly resigned on Tuesday, 5 July, the first of several Cabinet resignations that eventually led to Johnson’s resignation.

In his resignation letter, Sunak said:

“For me to step down as Chancellor (of the Exchequer) while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly.”

Sunak Ahead in Ratings

A polling company's survey conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, suggests that former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is in the lead to become the next prime minister of the UK.

However, his popularity had dropped due to the controversy surrounding his wife Akshata Murthy's non-domicile status in the country.

Sunak's failure to curb inflation and to resolve the cost-of-living crisis had also contributed to the fall in his ratings.

But after his resignation from Johnson's Cabinet, his ratings were gradually back on the rise, and following on Sunak's heels in the ratings was former Health Secretary Sajid Javid.