Britain’s ex-chancellor Sunak declares bid for leadership

Britain’s former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has declared his candidacy to become the Conservative Party leader and the next prime minister, days after he triggered a mass walkout of the cabinet ministers, which led to the resignation of scandal-hit Boris Johnson.

Sunak resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer on July 5. More than 50 Conservative MPs quit the government after Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned. The move eventually led to Prime Minister Johnson to step down as Tory leader two days later. Johnson, however, intends to stay on as prime minister until his successor is selected.

Sunak, the most high profile figure so far to announce his candidacy, is accused of treachery for triggering Johnson's premature exit.

Announcing his decision to stand in a social media video, Sunak said on Friday that he wanted to "restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country."

"Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions," he said. "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 promised "to lead this country in the right direction" based on values of "patriotism, fairness and hard work."

Sunak said the country faced "huge challenges" and that decisions made now would determine whether the next generation got "the chance of a better future."

He draw immediate support from several senior MPs, topping the latest poll of Conservative members, who will eventually choose their next leader.

Sunak was the preferred choice of a quarter of respondents, followed by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who was supported by 21 percent, and then Defense Secretary Ben Wallace with 12 percent, according to an opinion poll for Channel 4 News.

Neither Truss nor Wallace are yet to declare they are running. Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat, Attorney General Suella Braverman and former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch have announced their plans to stand.

Scandal-ridden Johnson resigns as UK prime minister; reactions pour in

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has officially announced his resignation from the post, following calls from ministerial colleagues and lawmakers in his ruling Conservative Party.

Jeremy Hunt, the former health and foreign secretary who lost to Johnson in 2019, was "virtually certain" to run again, a source close to Hunt told British media.

A cabinet minister loyal to Johnson, however, said his allies would try to ensure Sunak did not win the leadership contest, according to the Financial Times. “Rishi will get everything he deserves for leading the charge in bringing down the prime minister,” he told the FT.

Johnson’s allies also accused Sunak of having the wrong approach on the economy while chancellor.

“He had no real plan for growth, [and was] just obsessed with balancing the books,” a Number 10 insider told the FT.

Sunak is under fire for a controversy over his wife's tax affairs and being fined for breaching lockdown rules during the Coronavirus pandemic. He was fined by the Metropolitan Police, along with Johnson and his wife, Carrie, for breaching COVID rules by attending a birthday party for the prime minister in June 2020.

Sunak, who was a backer of Brexit, was loyal to Johnson, despite tensions over economic policy and the prime minister's wish to cut taxes more quickly as living costs rise. But their relationship ultimately broke down when Sunak dramatically resigned.

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