Boris Johnson confirms he will not stand in Tory leadership race
Rishi Sunak will be Britain’s next prime minister.
The former chancellor took the Tory leadership without a vote after rival Penny Mordaunt dropped out.
Mr Sunak had the support of more than half the party’s MPs, though there were doubts over his chance of victory in a vote of Tory members.
Allies of Ms Mordaunt spent the morning claiming their candidate was near the threshold of 100 supporters needed to make it on the ballot – but the leader of the Commons eventually dropped out minutes before the deadline.
In a statement conceding defeat Ms Mordaunt said Mr Sunak’s accession was “historic” and “shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party. Rishi has my full support.”
Opposition parties accused the Conservatives of being “antidemocratic” and demanded a general election as Mr Sunak became the second Tory this year to take over the country without consulting the public.
