Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak was keen not to criticize Boris Johnson today, Tuesday, as he launched his campaign for the Downing Street race, while the official deadline for nominations for prime minister expires tonight.
The former finance minister, who stepped down from government last week and opened the door to a series of resignations of about 60 government members and eventually prime minister, is now one of the favorites to succeed Boris Johnson.
Sunak, 42, has been careful not to criticize his former boss, saying in a speech at his campaign launch that “Boris Johnson is one of the most special people I’ve ever met and whatever some commentators say, he’s a good-hearted man. “
Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after a wave of resignations from his government team due to his repeated scandals. But he will remain prime minister until his successor is announced on 5 September.
Since last week, Rishi Sunak has come under fire from Johnson’s supporters, who accuse him of being involved in his resignation.
“Did I not agree with him (Boris Johnson)? Yes, that’s why I resigned,” he said, but denied “exaggerating Boris’s mistakes and denying the efforts he made.”
tax cuts
Ten candidates have been nominated to head the Conservative Party, and therefore prime minister, with the official nomination deadline set to expire on Tuesday evening. Transport Minister Grant Shapps withdrew from the race.
The competition is expected to be very tight between Rishi Sunak and former Secretary of Defense Penny Mordaunt and then Secretary of State Liz Truss.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was scheduled to run, ruled out such a move.
The campaign has so far been limited to high-profile videos, vague promises (most candidates say they will resort to tax cuts without specifying how they will fund their policies), and all sorts of controversy.
Unlike his rivals, Rishi Sunak is cautious about cutting taxes amid rising inflation. “The question is when, not if,” he stressed.
“We need to return to conservative values in the economy, which means honesty and responsibility, not fairy tales,” he added.
Sunak has been criticized as Chancellor of the Exchequer for not taking sufficient steps to alleviate the cost of living crisis for British families.
memorandum of no confidence
The 1922 Committee, the conservative parliamentary group responsible for drawing up voting rules, is due to announce on Tuesday the candidates who will officially run, and from Wednesday it will organize consecutive elections until two candidates are identified.
Each candidate will need the approval of at least twenty members of the House of Commons in order to accept their candidacy. The final vote is open only to party members.
The goal is to select only two candidates before the parliamentary recess, which starts on 22 July. The 1922 commission stated that the name of the new prime minister would be known on 5 September.
The Labor Party said it was too late and planned to move a vote of no confidence in Parliament on Tuesday for a vote on Wednesday, according to party sources.
Labor plans to quickly convince Conservative MPs to back Boris Johnson of Downing Street.
“They can’t keep him in power until September 5, which is very unlikely for the country,” opposition leader Keir Starmer said.
The Conservatives are unlikely to support such a Labor memorandum. If successful, this will lead to a general election in which the Conservatives could lose the overwhelming majority they gained in 2019 with the election of the then-popular Boris Johnson.
