From economy to party unity: Here’s what Rishi Sunak is focusing on in his bid to be UK PM
There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get job done,” Sunak said
For his Prime Ministerial bid, ex-Chancellor of the UK Rishi Sunak is focused on the economy and on party unity, according to his statement released on Twitter. As Sunak officially launched his Tory leadership bid and declared his candidacy, he noted he wanted to help “steer the economy through the toughest times”.
Sunak is mainly focusing on two things, firstly the economy, as “backers feel vindicated by what happened under Liz Truss,” according to Sky news’ analysis. The ex-chancellor intends to prove to the British public that “he is the person that can steady the ship” and rescue Britain from its economic woes, the expert stated.
“The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. That’s why I am standing to be the Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country,” Sunak said in his statement on Twitter.
“There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done,” he added.
Sunak’s emphasis on ‘unity’
UK’s former chancellor of the exchequer also laid emphasis on “unity.” Experts believe that Sunak wants to be the one to drive the momentum of change for the Conservative party with respect to unity. This can also be seen among the MPs who are widely backing him. Rishi Sunak’s backers have reached 130 MPs as per some tallies emerging. But the question remains if Boris Johnson, the former UK Prime Minister will be able to get on the ballot.
Some key allies of Johnson yesterday claimed that he had garnered the backing of more than 100 MPs, most of whom did not come out publicly. This still remains argumentative among Sunak’s supporters. Tensions between Johnson and Sunak were defined as many of the ex-Prime Minister’s supporters blamed Sunak’s resignation in July that brought the downfall of his government.
Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt is also in the race. She had told BBC that she lamented the so-called “mini-budget” that led to the economic turmoil in Britain and roiled financial markets. “I very much regret the mini-budget … I raised concerns even before I was in cabinet,” Mordant told the BBC. She said that there were details about the budget “the cabinet was not aware of.”
