Sunak declares bid for PM, gets 131 to 153 MPs' backing

BoJo Has Support Of Only 56-76 MPs And Penny Mordaunt 22 to 28 MPs 

- Naomi Canton

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy's son-in-law Rishi Sunak officially threw his hat into the ring on Diwali-eve to be in the race to succeed Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative party and the next UK PM. According to media reports, Sunak so far had 131 to 153 MPs backing him while Truss' predecessor Boris Johnson 56 to 76, and Penny Mordaunt 22 to 28 MPs. Only candidates with 100 or more MPs' nominations will make it through to the first ballot. The deadline ends at 18.30 IST on Monday. If Sunak is the only one who passes the threshold, he will automatically become the PM on Diwali.

Oddschecker on Sunday still had Sunak as the favourite for next Conservative leader. Announcing he was standing in the race, Sunak said the UK was facing a profound economic crisis. "I want to fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country. There will be integrity, professionalism, and accountability at every level of the government lead," he wrote in a statement.