London - Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is set to become the UK's next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the Tory leadership race. He will become the UK's first British Asian PM and at 42, the youngest in more than a century.
Labour had reiterated their call for a general election, so did the Scottish National Party.
Sunak after losing out to Truss in the last Conservative election, will now succeed her in just seven weeks.
Sunak has long been the strong favorite within days or even hours as the governing Conservative Party sought stability at a time of immense economic challenges and after months of chaos that consumed the past two leaders.
Sunak’s position strengthened after former leader Boris Johnson dropped out of the Conservative Party leadership contest. The party is choosing Britain’s third prime minister this year following Liz Truss’ resignation after a turbulent 45-day term.
Sunak lost out to Truss in the last Conservative election, but his party and the country now appear eager for a safe pair of hands to tackle soaring energy and food prices and a looming recession. The politician steered the economy through the coronavirus pandemic, winning praise for his financial support for laid-off workers and shuttered businesses.
He has promised “integrity, professionalism and accountability” if he forms a government — a nod to the growing to desire for a leader who can tackle the country’s problems.
The 42-year-old is the only candidate with confirmed support from more than 100 lawmakers, the number needed to run in the election, with his backers claiming he has been endorsed by more than half the 357 Conservative lawmakers in Parliament.
Home Secretary Grant Shapps, a Sunak supporter, said the former Treasury chief did not think he had the contest “in the bag.”
Sunak, who was Treasury chief from 2020 until this summer, quit in July in protest at Johnson’s leadership.
Johnson dramatically quit the race on Sunday night, ending a short-lived, high-profile attempt to return to the prime minister’s job he was ousted from little more than three months ago amid ethics scandals.
-Ap/BBC