Rishi Sunak will be Britain’s next Prime Minister - without winning a single vote or uttering a single word in public.
Voters and even some Tory MPs are demanding a general election NOW after his rival Penny Mordaunt crashed out of the Tory leadership race - and Boris Johnson withdrew last night.
Ms Mordaunt claimed she was close to the 100 backers she needed - but pulled out one minute before the close of nominations at 2pm today after her "unity" rival tipped over 200.
Saying Mr Sunak had her "full support" she added: "It is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country."
With no other Tories nominated, Mr Sunak will be “crowned” Prime Minister by King Charles, likely in time for PMQs on Wednesday.
Minutes after being named PM, he ruled out an early general election in his first speech, which he gave in private. He then hopped across Westminster to Conservative HQ - where he also didn't speak in public outside.
He gave his first statement as PM-to-be lasting just 86 seconds at a lectern, vowing "stability".
He will carry out a Cabinet reshuffle which could jettison Johnson loyalists like Jacob Rees-Mogg, and publish a financial statement on Monday which could usher in a new era of austerity.
Mr Sunak, 42, is the first British Asian PM and the youngest PM in modern history. Previous record-holder David Cameron was 43 in 2010.
Tory MPs roared and banged desks in Parliament's oak-panelled Committee Room 14 as Mr Sunak was named leader. 1922 Committee chairman Graham Brady said "I can confirm we have received one..." before he was drowned out by exuberant MPs.
But it is the first time in post-war history that the UK party of government has changed its leader twice in a row without a general election.
And Mr Sunak has not done any television or radio interviews - or even filmed any campaign videos. He was silent after being beaten to the job by Liz Truss on September 5. Before yesterday he had not even sent a tweet since September 8, and that one was about the Queen.
His first address as PM-in-waiting at 2.30pm was behind heavy wooden doors, to his MPs only, in a room journalists were kicked out of 20 minutes earlier. Ms Mordaunt said she was “good” and “I’m going to support the new PM" as she walked in to hear him speak.
Key questions he has failed to answer include whether he will slash spending on benefits, or take an axe to public services such as schools and hospitals to fill the massive black hole in the nation’s finances left by Liz Truss.
The multimillionaire - who with his wife is among the 300 richest people in Britain - has also been branded out-of-touch for using a £180 coffee mug and not knowing how to use a contactless card.
He ran into controversy when he - like Boris Johnson - was fined £50 for breaking Covid law at a Downing Street lockdown gathering, and it emerged his wife was a non-dom, saving UK tax on earnings from outside Britain.
He will ask his Chancellor to announce a fiscal plan on Monday as questions dangle over the NHS winter crisis, energy bills support, defence spending, his Brexit approach and foreign aid.
Mr Sunak has not named who he would make Chancellor but he has won the backing of sitting Jeremy Hunt - who drew up tens of billions in cuts when he replaced sacked Kwasi Kwarteng.
Rishi Sunak will not enter Downing Street today. It is likely to be on Tuesday but it could be later, No10 signalled.
Downing Street confirmed the transition from Liz Truss to Mr Sunak “won’t be taking place today”, as discussions are still under way between Mr Sunak and Buckingham Palace.
Updated timings are expected to be released later this afternoon.
In the summer leadership contest Mr Sunak had promised a 1p Income Tax cut in 2024, 91,000 civil service job cuts, more electric car charge points and to review all EU laws in 100 days.
But little is known about his plans this time round as the public finances have changed dramatically in the 44 days Liz Truss was Britain’s shortest-serving PM.
There are also questions over whether he would raise National Insurance - something he did in April, but which Liz Truss reversed a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, shamed or controversial Tories left out in the cold by the turbulence could make a shock return after backing Mr Sunak, including Matt Hancock, Gavin Williamson, Dominic Raab, and Suella Braverman who resigned for breaking the ministerial code five days ago.
Mr Sunak was tight-lipped on his plans for the nation as he arrived at his campaign headquarters on Monday morning.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “This is the same Rishi Sunak who as Chancellor failed to grow the economy, failed to get a grip on inflation, and failed to help families with the Tory cost of living crisis.
“And it’s the same Rishi Sunak whose family avoided paying tax in this country before he put up taxes on everyone else.
“With his record - and after Liz Truss comprehensively beat him over the summer - it’s no wonder he is dodging scrutiny.
“Rishi Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need. We need a general election.”
Penny Mordaunt failed to make the 100-nomination threshold to go to a vote of Tory members, which would have decided the next Prime Minister by Friday.
She flopped despite a frantic final scramble for backers after Boris Johnson - who claimed to have got 100 secret nominations, all verified - dropped out at 9pm on Sunday.
Despite having only 27 public backers all morning, allies claimed Ms Mordaunt got over 90 names in private hours before the vote.
But she was dealt a blow as a flood of nominations poured in for Rishi Sunak from MPs from across the party as they took trains into Westminsters.
Key Boris Johnson allies Simon Clarke, Brandon Lewis, Amanda Milling, Priti Patel and Chris Heaton-Harris all swung behind Mr Sunak, as did right-wing Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith and moderate Tory Michael Gove.
And Ms Mordaunt’s number of supporters dropped to 26 moments before the close of nominations as one of her backers, George Freeman, switched to Rishi Sunak and urged her to drop out.
Neither the centre-right One Nation Group of Tory MPs, nor the European Research Group of right-wing Brexiteers, decided to endorse a single candidate.
It came after a weekend of dizzying drama in which Boris Johnson jetted in from his holiday in the Dominican Republic - where he had bunked off Parliament to lounge by a beach despite claiming an MP’s salary.
He boasted he was “up for it” and persuaded about 60 MPs to declare publicly - only to bottle it at 9pm on Friday when it became clear Rishi Sunak had the vast majority of backers.
The former premier abandoned his dream of returning to No10, confessing he would be too divisive, after Tory grandees voiced fury and his campaign flopped.
Ex-leader William Hague said it would be the worst idea in 46 years while Brexiteer former backer Steve Baker said it would be a “guaranteed disaster”.
Mr Johnson bragged without evidence that he'd reached 100 backers - but admitted: “This is simply not the right time.”
The ex-premier admitted that as the leader who won on the 2019 manifesto, he was the best chance of avoiding a general election. And his close ally Zac Goldsmith said an election was now "morally unavoidable".
He tweeted: "I don’t see how we can have a 3rd new PM - & a policy programme that is miles away from the original manifesto - without going to the country."
Staunch Johnson ally and former cabinet member Nadine Dorries said it was now "impossible" to avoid an election.
"Boris would have won members vote - already had a mandate from the people,” she claimed.
"Rishi and Penny, despite requests from Boris refused to unite which would have made governing utterly impossible. Penny actually asked him to step aside for her. It will now be impossible to avoid a GE."
Liz Truss resigned on Thursday after just 44 days in office, becoming Britain’s shortest-serving PM in history.
She lasted less time than the B&Q returns policy, Cher's Believe staying at No1 in the charts, or magician David Blaine’s stint living in a box after she unleashed chaos on the mortgage market with £70bn in unfunded tax cuts.
