Rishi Sunak poised to become British Prime Minister following Johnson’s exit from leadership race

British Conservative Rishi Sunak was on Monday poised to be the new British Prime Minister and the country’s first leader of colour, after Boris Johnson abandoned his political comeback.

In a statement on Sunday, Boris Johnson said he would not seek the leadership of the Conservative Party, leaving former treasury chief Rishni Sunak as the frontrunner to take over from Liz Truss who announced her exit last week, after serving for 45 days in office.

According to BBC News, Johnson insisted in the statement “I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024.” He also claimed that he secured 102 nominations from Conservative Party members- 100 nominations are needed to qualify for leadership- but the BBC had only confirmed 57 Conservative Party members would support him.

“A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country,” Johnson said in a statement.

Just weeks after failing in a first attempt to lead the ruling Tories, Sunak could be announced as the new British Prime Minister following the announcement of Johnson’s exit.

Sunak secured the required support of at least 100 Conservative MPs by Friday night making him a frontrunner in the contest to become the new Prime Minister.

Johnson’s withdrawal from the race- before he had even formally announced his candidacy- left cabinet member Penny Mordaunt as the only other declared contender.

But she has struggled to gain support among her fellow MPs. Mordaunt is expected to come under immense pressure to abandon her leadership bid which would make Sunak the winner.

If Mordaunt, the current leader of the House of Commons, enters the contest, she has until Monday afternoon to garner 100 nominations. Failure of which, will result in her standing down.

Source: Eyewitness News, France24, Washington Post, CBS News, image from twitter: @srdmk01

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

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