Rishi Sunak set to become UK’s new PM

Former finance minister Rishi Sunak yesterday won the battle for leadership of Britain's Conservative party and will become the country's first prime minister of colour.

Penny Mordaunt, the last rival left after Boris Johnson dramatically pulled out, failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs.

"Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative party," senior backbencher Graham Brady said, as Mordaunt pledged her "full support" for Sunak.

Triumph for 42-year-old Sunak came after Johnson's decision late Sunday to abandon his political comeback bid.

Just weeks after he lost out to Liz Truss to lead the ruling Tories, Sunak therefore pulled off a stunning reversal in fortunes.

Addressing members of his party behind closed doors after the announcement, Sunak reportedly received a rapturous reception.

He warned MPs in that meeting that the Conservative party was facing an "existential threat". He also ruled out an early general election.

Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, whose nationalist government in Edinburgh wants to hold an independence referendum next year, was among the first to congratulate Sunak.

"I wish him well... notwithstanding our political differences," she said.

"That he becomes the first British Asian -- indeed the first from any minority ethnic background -- to become PM is a genuinely significant moment," she said.

The contest, triggered by outgoing leader Truss's resignation on Thursday, had required candidates to secure the support of at least 100 Conservative MPs by 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) yesterday.

Only Sunak made the threshold, Brady announced.

Sunak, a wealthy Hindu descendant of immigrants from India and East Africa, had crossed that threshold by Friday night, and amassed nearly 200 public nominations -- more than half the parliamentary Tory party.

Johnson's withdrawal from the race -- before he had even formally announced his candidacy -- left cabinet member Mordaunt the only other declared contender.

However, she failed to garner the necessary support, putting an abrupt end to the contest.

Sunak's victory came on the day Hindus worldwide mark the start of the five-day festival of Diwali -- a celebration of the victory of good over evil.

When he was chancellor of the exchequer, in November 2020, Sunak marked the occasion by lighting oil lamps on the front step of the chancellor's official residence at 11 Downing Street.

The Tories were forced into their second leadership contest since the summer due to Truss's resignation after only 44 days following a disastrous market response to her tax-slashing mini-budget.

Truss -- who pledged Sunak her "full support" -- had replaced Johnson in early September following a government revolt led by Sunak over a slew of scandals, most notably the "Partygate" controversy involving Covid lockdown-breaching parties.

Johnson's attempt to make an immediate return to Downing Street had raised the prospect of months of disarray and disunity within the ruling Conservatives.

Sunak was quick to pay tribute to Johnson, tweeting: "I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad."

Anand Menon, politics professor at King's College London, said Sunak becoming prime minister was a landmark.

"To have, if we do, a prime minister of Indian origin is a really, really big deal," he told BBC television shortly before the result was confirmed.

He added that he was reassured by how little comment there had been about it. "In a sense... we seem to have normalised this," he said.