Race For PM LIVE: Boris Johnson flies back to UK as Rishi Sunak’s team claim he already has backing of 100 MPs in race to succeed Liz Truss as Prime Minister
This is MailOnline’s live blog following all the twists and turns in the race for the next Prime Minister.
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Sir Malcolm Rifkind said he backed former chancellor Rishi Sunak because he is ‘by far the best’ of the contenders available.
He told Times Radio: ‘I don’t know Rishi Sunak. I’ve not met him personally. So I’m not simply an automatic adherent.
‘But what I do know is that during the Truss/Sunak campaign, one of the reasons Sunak lost probably was because he was brave enough to put the public interest (first) and say “I cannot support tax cuts unless they’re properly funded, and not while the economy’s in a mess” and he said that and it probably cost him more votes than it gained him. But he’s been proven 100 per cent right.
‘So as a citizen affected by the way the economy may develop over the next few months, then on the people available, he is by far the best.’
Boris Johnson is ‘a tried and tested leader’ and it is time that the is back in power, a Conservative MP has said.
Andrew Stephenson said there is lots of support from the public for Mr Johnson to return as prime minister and that all MPs will have to work to improve divisions within the party.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘It will be the challenge for whoever is leader of the party to unite the party. I think it is important that all MPs respect the result of this election and unite behind our new leader.
‘I think what we have seen in the last few days is some of the MPs who resigned and called for Boris to go at the start of the summer have now said they would like to see him put himself forward. They’ve admitted they were wrong. I know that many others are waiting for him to make a decision before they go public.
‘I think Boris is someone with a proven track record who delivered Brexit, he delivered the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe. He ensured this country led the international coalition against (Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
‘I believe he is a tried-and-tested leader and it is time to bring back Boris.’
Senior Tories are trying to broker a face-to-face meeting between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in a bid to end the bloodletting engulfing the party – as the former Prime Minister ended his holiday in the Dominican Republic and took an overnight flight back to London in the race for the keys to No10.
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Rishi Sunak is close to reaching the 100 MP nominations needed to enter the race to become the next Prime Minister.
The ex-chancellor has 99 endorsements from Conservative MPs, with two – Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, and Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon – coming out in support of Mr Sunak this morning, according to Conservative Home.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is currently on a flight back from the Caribbean, is in second place with 51 endorsements.
Penny Mordaunt, who was the first to declare, has 22 supporters so far.
The Conservative Party has launched a fresh leadership race after the resignation of Liz Truss on Thursday following a shambolic 44 days in power. Here you will find all the latest news and developments in the race for the next Prime Minister, with Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson all among the frontrunners.
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