Rishi Sunak could be declared the next prime minister within hours after Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the race for No 10, with uncertainty over rival Penny Mordaunt’s prospects of securing sufficient support from MPs. Tory MPs will choose who they want to be their new leader in the first stage of the contest on Monday, should both remaining candidates get the 100 nominations required to reserve a place on the ballot.
If Ms Mordaunt falls short of this total by the deadline of 2pm, or pulls out of the contest, Mr Sunak will take charge of the party without the need for a vote. It comes after Mr Johnson dramatically withdrew from the race – having never officially entered, claiming he had the numbers but admitting he could not unite his warring party.
In a statement on Sunday evening, he said there was a “very good chance” he could have been back in No 10 by the end of the week if he had stood. However his efforts to “reach out” to his rivals – Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt – to work together in the national interest had not been successful, he said, so he was dropping out.
