Rishi Sunak has now formally declared that he is running to be Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party. In a statement released online, he says he is running to ‘fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country’. With well over 100 backers, Sunak — who I should say I have known for years — is guaranteed to be on the ballot on Monday. This morning, sources close to Boris Johnson have been emphasising that he is going for it too, even though he isn’t yet formally declared. This suggests that there’ll be no joint ticket between the two men. The pair met last night, but nothing has come out about the meeting.
Even Tory members might hesitate to impose on MPs a prime minister that most of them do not want
Sunak’s lead in public endorsements by MPs is clear: he has 132 to Johnson’s 59. Following the backing of Kemi Badenoch last night and Steve Baker this morning, he has just picked up the support of the Home Secretary Grant Shapps — the man who ran the numbers for Boris Johnson’s last leadership bid.
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