Boris Johnson Was NOminated To Participate In The Candidate, Rishi Sunak Favorites Of The British PM Next

Rishi Sunak. (Wikimedia Commons/HM Treasury)

JAKARTA - Rishi Sunak has become the favorite to be elected the next British Prime Minister, after Boris Johnson stepped down from the contest on Sunday, although he still has to look at the next steps of another candidate, Penny Moridaunt.

Johnson has returned from vacation in the Caribbean to try and get support from 100 lawmakers to enter Monday's contest to replace Liz Truss.

He said he had received support from 102 lawmakers and could "return to Downing Street", but he failed to persuade Sunak, or another competitor Penny Mordount, to unite "for the national interest".

"I'm sure I have a lot to offer but I'm afraid this isn't the right time," Johnson said on Sunday evening.

The former prime minister had received less than 60 Conservative MPs in public support on Sunday, well below half of the nearly 150 support Sunak received.

Johnson's statement likely paved the way for arch rival Sunak's 42-year-old former finance minister to become prime minister, perhaps the fastest Monday. If confirmed, he would replace Truss, who was forced to resign, after launching an economic program that sparked turmoil in the financial market.

According to the rules, if only one candidate has the support of 100 Conservative MPs, he will be appointed prime minister on Monday.

If the two candidates cross the threshold, they will advance to the party membership vote, with the winner announced on Friday.

Several Johnson supporters could switch to Mordount, which has presented itself as a candidate for unity, but many have immediately turned to Sunak. A source close to the Moridaunt campaign said the former defense minister would continue the contest.

"He is a unifying candidate who will most likely unite the Conservative Party's wings," the source said.

Sunak said he hoped Johnson would continue to contribute to public life "at home and abroad".

A Sunak supporter, who asked not to be named, said his main reaction was relief, because if Johnson wins, "the party will break,"

Another Conservative MP Lucy Allan said on Twitter: "I support Boris for PM, but I think he has done the right thing for the country."

Meanwhile, senior politician Nadhim Zahawi, who a few minutes earlier published an article on the Daily Telegraph website praising Johnson, said "one day is a long time in politics".

"Rishi is very talented, will lead a strong majority in the parliamentary Conservative Party, and will have my full support and loyalty," said Nadhim.

Previously, many Conservative MPs who usually support Johnson shifted their support to Sunak, saying the country needed a period of stability after months of chaos that had sparked headlines - and raised alarms - worldwide.

In addition, Johnson is also still facing an investigation by the privilege committee about whether he misled parliament over Downing Street parties during the COVID-19 lockdown. He could be forced to resign or suspended from office if found guilty.

Sunak first became national attention when, at the age of 39, he became finance minister under Johnson just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the UK, developing a leave scheme to support millions of people through various lockdowns.

"I served as your finance minister, helping to steer our economy through the toughest times," Sunak said in a statement on Sunday. "The challenges we face now are even bigger. But opportunities - if we make the right choices - are phenomenal."

If elected, Sunak will be India's first prime minister in England. His family migrated to England in the 1960s, a time when many of the former British colonys arrived to help rebuild the country after the Second World War.

After graduating from Oxford University, he then continued to Stanford University, where he met his wife Akstata Murthy, whose father was Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of giant company Infosys Ltd.