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Jake Berry, the Conservative party chair, has put out this statement about Rishi Sunak’s election as Tory leader.
I’d like to congratulate Rishi Sunak on becoming the new leader of our party. Now is the time for the whole party to come together and unite four-square behind Rishi, as he gets on with the vital work of tackling the challenges we face as a country. The time for internal debates is well and truly over, and led by Rishi Sunak, I know we can and will deliver on the priorities of the British people.
Sunak’s appointment as PM ‘hopeful sign of progress against prejudices of past’, says thinktank
Sunder Katwala, who runs the British Future thinktank, which focuses on issues relating to immigration, identity and race, says Rishi Sunak’s appoinment as PM is a historic moment. He says:
Rishi Sunak becoming the first British Indian prime minister is an historic moment. This simply would not have been possible even a decade or two ago.
It shows that public service in the highest office in Britain can be open to those of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds. This will be a source of pride to many British Asians – including many who do not share Rishi Sunak’s Conservative politics.
Most people in Britain now rightly say the ethnicity and faith of the prime minister should not matter. They will judge Sunak on whether he can get a grip on the chaos in Westminster, sort out the public finances, and restore integrity to politics.
But we should not underestimate this important social change. When Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980, there had been no Asian or black MPs at all in the post-war era. There were still no black or Asian Conservative MPs when he graduated from university in 2001.
Sunak reaching 10 Downing Street does not make Britain a perfect meritocracy. While there is more to do, this is a hopeful sign of progress against the prejudices of the past. National politics has set the pace and business, public services and charities should accept the challenge to reflect modern Britain too.
Penny Mordaunt is addressing Tory MPs at the 1922 Committee. This is from my colleague Jessica Elgot.
Cheers and desk banging as Mordaunt goes into the room for Sunak’s acceptance speech. MPs kissing her and her campaign chief Andrea Leadsom on the cheek.
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) October 24, 2022
And this is from ITV’s Anushka Asthana.
Penny Mordaunt says “I’m good, I’m alright” and insists “I’m going to support the new PM” as she enters the 1922 meeting to massive supportive bangs on the desk for her.
— Anushka Asthana (@AnushkaAsthana) October 24, 2022
Here is some comment from journalists on Rishi Sunak becoming PM.
From the Economist’s Jeremy Cliffe
Sunak to be UK’s new PM. Thoughts:
1) You don’t have to like him to celebrate the fact of Britain’s first ethnic minority PM.
2) He will get a honeymoon, but Tories remain fundamentally dysfunctional.
3) Labour still can’t afford complacency. Discipline & vision essential.
— Jeremy Cliffe (@JeremyCliffe) October 24, 2022
From Lewis Goodall from the News Agents podcast
Mordaunt has succumbed to reality. The weight of support within the parliamentary party was just too lop sided.
Sunak will become the UK’s first British Asian PM. He’ll be the youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool two centuries ago.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) October 24, 2022
Sunak will become the third Conservative prime minister in seven weeks. Our fifth in six years.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) October 24, 2022
From the former FT editor Lionel Barber
Britain enjoys its “Obama moment”: Rishi Sunak wins Tory leadership race and will be next prime minister. A British-Asian of Punjabi descent, pukka English public school boy and Goldman alumnus. Let’s give him a break and not pigeon hole him. He’ll need some luck!
— Lionel Barber (@lionelbarber) October 24, 2022
From Darren McCaffrey from GB News
NEW Prime Minister: Rishi Sunak
🔹UK’s first non-white PM
🔹Youngest PM since 1812
🔹Richest PM ever?
— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) October 24, 2022
Penny Mordaunt ended up with 90 nominations in the end, ITV’s Chris Ship reports.
Penny Mordaunt’s team says she ended on 90 nominations, which will be verified later by 1922.
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) October 24, 2022
King Charles will return to London from Sandringham, and will be in Buckingham Palace this evening, ITV’s Chris Ship reports. That means he could accept Liz Truss’s resignation and appoint Rishi Sunak as PM tonight.
NEW: The King will travel from Sandringham to London this afternoon which means he will be in Buckingham Palace this evening – should Liz Truss and @RishiSunak decide to go see him tonight. One to resign and one to be invited to form His Majesty’s Government
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) October 24, 2022
We have not been told the timetable for the handover of power yet, but on the World at One Lord O’Donnell, the former cabinet secretary, said he did not expect Sunak to become PM until tomorrow.
He also said it could be delayed until Wednesday if Liz Truss wanted to do one final PMQs. Given how her previous ones have gone, that seems unlikely.
David Cameron has congratulated Rishi Sunak – and himself too. He points out that 10 years ago he said he thought the Conservatives would be the first party in the UK to have an Indian-heritage PM. As party leader Cameron put in a lot of effort into getting his party to select more female and minority ethnic candidates, and that has been linked to Liz Truss appointing a cabinet last month in which none of the top four jobs was held by a white man.
Huge congratulations @RishiSunak on becoming PM to lead us through challenging times. I predicted a decade ago that @Conservatives would select our first Brit Indian PM & proud today that comes to be. I wish Rishi the v best, he has my wholehearted support https://t.co/yXLyo0hWTq
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) October 24, 2022
Rishi Sunak’s speech to Tory MPs at 2.30pm will be in private, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.
This will not be public, we’re told, it’s a behind closed doors address
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) October 24, 2022
In her statement Penny Mordaunt does not claim, as Boris Johnson did in his statement last night, that she had enough support to enter the contest if she wanted to. But she does not admit failing to get 100 nominations either. She just says it became clear that “colleagues feel we need certainty today”.
Ten minutes ago the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope said Mordaunt had reached 96 nominations shortly before 2pm – just four short of the number she needed.
Sunak to address Tory MPs at 2.30pm
Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, is making a statement now. He says he can confirm there has been one valid nomination, “and Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative party”.
He says Sunak is going to address Tory MPs at 2.30pm in the Commons.
This will be the first time Sunak has spoken in public since Liz Truss resigned.
Rishi Sunak confirmed as new prime minister after Penny Mordaunt drops out
Penny Mordaunt has dropped out of the contest, which means Rishi Sunak is the next PM.
But Richard Harrington, the Tory peer and former minister, told the World at One that Rishi Sunak was going to be the next PM because he was “a lot smarter” than Penny Mordaunt, the Mail’s Jason Groves reports.
Pro-Sunak peer Richard Harrington withering about Mordaunt’s decision to fight on, telling @BBCWorldatOne she is going to ‘get walloped’.
‘It’s an absolute joke… she should understand Rishi is going to be the next PM because he’s a lot smarter…’— Jason Groves (@JasonGroves1) October 24, 2022
Asked on Sky News whether Penny Mordaunt has the 100 nominations she needs, one of her supporters, Heather Wheeler, replied: “I believe she does, yes.”
Nominations close at 2pm, and so we will find out for sure very soon.
