Rishi Sunak officially declares candidacy to become UK's next PM
Rishi Sunak announces his candidacy for the premiership in a video on social media and vows to rebuild trust between Britons and their government.
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UK's former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak
UK's former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak declared Friday his candidacy to become Conservative leader and Britain's next prime minister, days after helping to ignite the cabinet revolt that led to Boris Johnson's downfall.
Johnson, whose scandal-plagued three-year premiership has also been defined by the country's departure from the EU and Covid, said that he would remain prime minister until his successor is selected.
Unveiling his leadership credentials in a video on social media, Sunak vowed to rebuild trust between Britons and their government.
"Let's restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country," he said.
I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister.
— Ready For Rishi (@RishiSunak) July 8, 2022
Let’s restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country. #Ready4Rishi
Sign up 👉 https://t.co/KKucZTV7N1 pic.twitter.com/LldqjLRSgF
Sunak among frontrunners
Sunak is among the frontrunners for the top job, drawing immediate support from several senior MPs and topping the latest poll of Conservative party members - who will eventually choose their next leader.
He was the preferred choice of a quarter of respondents, followed by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who was supported by 21%, and then Defence Secretary Ben Wallace with 12%, according to the Opinium poll for Channel 4 News.
It seems that the public has to think about a replacement for #BorisJohnson in case he is ousted, especially after the many rapid resignations his troubled government is facing. pic.twitter.com/NIrzrFf3JP
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 6, 2022
Neither Truss nor Wallace is yet to declare they are running.
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat and Attorney General Suella Braverman have also officially announced their candidacies.
Former health and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, who lost to Johnson in 2019, was "virtually certain" to run again, a source close to Hunt told British media.
