Boris Johnson news – live: Rishi Sunak says he’s running for PM to ‘fix economy and unite Tories’
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he’s running for prime minister, saying that – as Liz Truss’ successor – he would fix the economy and unite the Conservative Party.
The former chancellor tweeted that he is the candidate to prepare Britain for a “profound economic crisis”, and that – during the pandemic – he had helped “steer our economy through the toughest of times.”
Mr Sunak added: “The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities – if we make the right choices – are phenomenal.
“… 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.”
It comes after Steve Baker declared that he is supporting Mr Sunak to become the next PM as Boris Johnson would be “bound to implode” if he returned to No 10.
The Northern Ireland minister, and Mr Johnson’s ally, said that “Boris would be a guaranteed disaster” because of the ongoing inquiry into Partygate.
Mr Baker told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that Mr Johnson “doesn’t have that meticulous compliance with tedious rules.”
