Sunak leads among Tory MPs but Johnson camp claims growing support
Posted by News Express | 23 October 2022 | 388 times
•Rishi Sunak
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak is leading the race to become the UK's next prime minister as Conservative MPs declare who they are supporting
Although Sunak hasn't officially said he is running, it's believed he will do so soon and he already has the backing of more than 100 Tory MPs
That's the threshold needed to get on the ballot, with nominations closing at 14:00 on Monday
Boris Johnson has travelled back to London from a Caribbean holiday as speculation grows that he will also run
Sources planning his possible campaign say he too has the required number of backers, but Sunak's supporters call for proof
Trade minister Sir James Duddridge said the former prime minister told him that he was "up" for making a bid to return as PM
Commons leader Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate officially in the race, but she is lagging behind on Tory MPs' public support
Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson remain the two frontrunners in the race, but neither the former chancellor nor the former prime minister have officially confirmed they are running
The BBC understands that the pair were due to meet this afternoon, but the meeting was pushed back for reasons that are unclear
Johnson's supporters have claimed the former PM has the support of 100 Tory MPs
But Sunak's backers have cast doubt on those claims, demanding Johnson's camp to publish a list of MPs who are backing him
Penny Mordaunt continues to be the only official candidate to declare she's running for the top leadership position
Those wishing to throw their names in the hat have until Monday at 14:00 BST to find 100 backers. The general public doesn't have a say on who will become the next Tory leader, but Conservative Party members will (unless MPs unite around just one candidate)
Currently 203 out of 357 Tory MPs have gone public with their support.
Some 127 MPs are backing Sunak, 53 MPs said they'll support Johnson and a further 23 MPs have pledged their support to Mordaunt. (BBC)
Source: News Express
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