Confirmed: Rishi Sunak to be Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak has won the Conservative Party leadership competition, and will now become Prime Minister.
The news was confirmed just before 2pm when it was announced the only challenger in the contest, Penny Mordaunt, failed to get to the 100 Conservative MP supporter mark as per the rules of the race.
— Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) October 24, 2022
As the only Conservative MP with a valid number of nominators and supporters, around 200, Sunak won.
The precise details of what happens next has yet to be confirmed, however it has been reported that King Charles III is in London and therefore could receive Prime Minister Truss’ formal resignation and then invite Rishi Sunak to become Prime Minister as soon as this evening.
Andrew Davies MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives said “The Parliamentary Conservative Party has clearly shown their belief in Rishi Sunak to lead the Government, commanding the confidence of his colleagues.
“The Government has a clear agenda that it needs to get on with. The cost of living, the war in Ukraine and getting the UK onto the path of growth and opportunity after the COVID pandemic.
“I know that colleagues in Westminster will realise the real need to come together to deliver for the people of Wales and the United Kingdom.
“As a friend of Wales, Rishi understands the challenges we face, with high energy bills, high inflation, and household budgets being stretched to breaking point.
“I look forward to working with him to tackle those challenges.
“It should also be celebrated that, during Diwali no less, we are welcoming the UK’s first British-Asian and Hindu Prime Minister.
“I want to thank, on behalf of the Welsh Conservatives, Boris and Penny, who have so much to offer our party and our country going forward.”
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP said: “The antidemocratic nature of the Westminster system has been laid bare for all to see. Rishi Sunak has no mandate, no legitimacy. Democracy demands a General Election.
“Rishi Sunak’s coronation may soothe the financial markets in the short term, but the Tory party is still riven with factions who will be jostling for the upper hand at critical votes. More fundamentally, the chronic crisis and abuse of democratic legitimacy remain unresolved.
“He has no electoral mandate for the austerity measures he plans to inflict on our public services, which are already close to buckling after twelve years of Conservative mismanagement. Wales did not vote for this in 2019.
“The people of Wales deserve an opportunity to reject this rotten Westminster system at the ballot box with a general election. Only Plaid Cymru can offer the people of Wales a voice and vision for a better future.”
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “The Conservatives have over the seven years continuously treated the UK like a fiefdom to carry out internal battles, as a consequence the country has suffered time and time again.
“The problem is clearly not any single Prime Minister or Minister, but the Conservative Party as an institution which continues to put its own wellbeing above that of the country’s and is so internally divided it cannot hope to produce a well-functioning government.
“Rishi Sunak showed time and time again in his role as Chancellor that he was out-of-touch with the struggles ordinary people faced whether it’s paying their heating bills or being able to access key public services.
“The public has lost trust in the Conservatives and Sunak does not have a mandate from the people, we need a General Election now to get us out of this perpetual chaos and give the country fresh hope.”
As we reported over the weekend Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton backed Boris Johnson who pulled out of the race last night:
Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton says ” I’m backing Boris ” tonight in the race to become the UK’s next Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/ovtULseGia
— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 22, 2022
Clwyd South’s Simon Baynes backed the winner Rishi Sunak:
That means both local MPs have now declared how they stand – with Clwyd South’s Simon Baynes MP backing Rishi Sunak https://t.co/73AqhiSz3v
— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 22, 2022
No General Election takes place with a new Prime Minister, which if they do not call one, means one will take place in January 2025 at the very latest.
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