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Rishi Sunak announces bid to succeed Boris Johnson as UK prime minister
Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, becomes the highest-profile Tory member of Parliament yet to throw his hat in the ring for the leadership race.
Rishi Sunak, the former UK chancellor of the exchequer, whose resignation from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet helped spark an exodus of other ministers, on Friday declared his candidacy to become the party's next leader and future British Prime Minister.
"Let's restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country," Sunak said, presenting a video about his life story to launch the campaign on social media.
The British Indian minister becomes the highest-profile Tory member of Parliament yet to throw his hat in the ring for the leadership race.
"Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions," he said.
The 42-year-old MP and son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has long been seen as an heir apparent to Johnson at 10 Downing Street and is believed to have garnered the support of a significant chunk of the Conservative Party to launch his candidacy.
“We need to make sure that's not the end of the British Indian story. There's lots more we can achieve. There's lots more we can do. And I'm really excited about the future,” he told reporters last week, when asked if he could go on to be the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the UK.
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Foreign secretary Liz Truss and defence secretary Ben Wallace are also expected to announce campaigns in the coming days. With no clear front-runner and limited time to find a winner, the race is likely to be fractious as candidates throw everything at their rivals.
Meanwhile, Johnson will stay on until his successor is announced, which the party said will be in September. He has appointed a caretaker government which he insists will not “make major changes of direction.”
(With inputs from agencies)
