Tag: boris johnson rishi sunak

Watch | I Have No Doubt Rishi Sunak Is the Best Person To Be UK’s PM: Former Tory Minister

Andrew Mitchell describes Sunak as “a safe helmsman” during this time of serious crisis that the UK is facing, adding that his preference for the Indian-origin leader is likely to be shared by a majority of party MPs.

Andrew Mitchell, one of Britain’s leading Conservative MPs, has forcefully if not passionately endorsed Rishi Sunak as the best person to be elected the new leader of the Conservative Party and, therefore, automatically, the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. The former secretary of state for international development says: “There is no doubt Rishi Sunak is the best person … he is the right choice”. He describes Sunak as “a safe helmsman” during this time of serious crisis, adding “my preference for Rishi Sunak is likely to be shared by a majority of (Conservative) MPs.”

In an 18-minute interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Mitchell accepted that there is “the feeling abroad” that Sunak’s resignation is responsible for precipitating Boris Johnson’s fall and it’s true that a section of the Conservative Party, loyal to Johnson, does not want the Indian-origin MP as party leader and prime minister for that reason. However, Mitchell said this is “very unfair”.

Mitchell, who has been a Conservative MP for over 30 years and continues as one, said he believes that his fellow Conservative MPs will now look for a leader who can lead the Party from the centre, adding that Sunak is the best to front what he called “a compassionate, one-nation Conservative Party”. The former chief whip of the Conservative Party believes that the majority of party MPs will come around to this view.

Mitchell added that in the face of the economic crisis Britain faces, the best combination would be Rishi Sunak as finance minister and Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Although Sunak has not as yet thrown his hat into the ring, Mitchell, who has been speaking to the former, said he is “quite confident Sunak will stand”.

Mitchell said that Sunak was both the best choice as Conservative leader and prime minister to handle the present crisis but also to give the Conservative Party its best chance of winning its fifth consecutive national election at the end of 2024.

Speaking about Liz Truss’s prime ministership, Mitchell said she was “not the right choice”. He added she was “ill-equipped to handle the issues and problems” Britain faces. He said during her prime ministership “ideology came up against reality and reality won”.

Although Mitchell refused to call Truss a disaster, he did say that her prime ministership was “a very considerable setback” for the Conservative Party. He added this “massively affects our reputation”. He said it was “hugely damaging”.

Speaking about reports that Johnson might stand and seek a second term as prime minister, Mitchell said this was “very unlikely”. Describing Johnson as “brilliantly charismatic and amusing”, Mitchell said: “It would be quite a stretch for a leader to return with his record of a large number of resignations” when he was prime minister.

For a well-informed and reliable view of how the Conservative Party may respond to Liz Truss’s prime ministership, watch the full interview.

Former UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak Bids To Replace PM Johnson

Sunak made his pitch three days after helping to launch the cascade of resignations that brought the prime minister down.

London: British former finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday he was running to replace Boris Johnson, three days after helping to launch the cascade of resignations that brought the prime minister down.

Johnson announced on Thursday that he would stand down as prime minister after a mass rebellion in his Conservative Party, triggered by the latest in a series of scandals that had fatally undermined public trust.

Johnson’s imminent departure has added political uncertainty to an already difficult mix of soaring inflation, slowing growth and industrial unrest, set against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and Britain’s ongoing struggle to adapt to life after Brexit.

“Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions. That’s why I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your prime minister,” Sunak said in a campaign video released on Twitter.

Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid quit the cabinet on Tuesday within minutes of each other, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Johnson’s decision to step down.

The rules and timetable for the contest to replace Johnson are due to be set out next week by a party committee.

Sunak’s budget last year put Britain on course for its biggest tax burden since the 1950s, which critics said undermined his claim to favour lower taxes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunak oversaw around 400 billion pounds ($481 billion) of economic support, avoiding a big jump in unemployment but letting public borrowing rise to a peacetime record high in the face of a historic slump in GDP.

Sunak’s popularity with Conservative lawmakers was later dented after he raised payroll taxes in April to fund higher health and social care spending, and announced plans to raise corporation tax sharply in 2023.

Sunak said in his resignation letter it had become clear that his approach to the economy had been too different to Johnson’s, as the two had tried to agree on the next steps for the country.

He continued on that theme in his candidacy announcement video.

“The decisions we make today will decide whether the next generation of British people will also have the chance of a better future,” he said.

“Do we confront this moment with honesty, seriousness and determination? Or do we tell ourselves comforting fairy tales that might make us feel better in the moment, but will leave our children worse off tomorrow?”

The number of endorsements needed to enter the race has not yet been announced but one senior lawmaker, Mark Spencer, who has a ministerial role in charge of parliamentary business, immediately announced his backing.

“In serious times we need a person with a proven track record. Rishi gets my full support,” he said on Twitter.

Sunak voted to leave the European Union in 2016.