FORMER Chancellor Rishi Sunak has formally launched his campaign to be the next Tory leader with a slick video criticising Boris Johnson.

Though he does not mention the Prime Minister by name in the film, shared on his social media, he promises to act with "honesty, seriousness and determination."

When he resigned on Tuesday, Mr Sunak, accused Mr Johnson of not being serious and of failing to tell the public the truth. 

And, in what can be seen as a criticism of the Prime Minister's desire for high spending and low taxes, Mr Sunak says he will not be a candidate offering “comforting fairy tales”.

In his campaign video, he says the UK "faces huge challenges."

"The most serious for a generation," he adds. "And the decisions we make today will decide whether the next generation of British people will also have the chance of a better future.

"Do we confront this moment with honesty, seriousness and determination?

"Or do we tell ourselves comforting fairy tales that might make us feel better in the moment that will leave our children worse off tomorrow?"

Mr Sunak says he can "grip this moment and make the right decisions."

"I want to lead this country in the right direction. I ran the toughest department in government during the toughest times when we faced the nightmare of Covid.

"My values are non-negotiable: patriotism, fairness, hard work.

"We've had enough of division. Politics at its best is a unifying endeavour.

"And I have spent my career bringing people together because that is the only way to succeed.

"In the coming days and weeks, I will set out my vision for how we can build a better future for our country. I've told you a bit about my story, but I'm running to be our next Prime Minister because it's your stories that matter most, your futures."

A number of senior Tories have already come out in support of Mr Sunak, including two former chief whips, Mark Harper and Mark Spencer. 

The ex-Chancellor was at the centre of a row earlier this year when it was revealed his wife Akshata Murty had non-dom status, saving her an estimated £20 million in taxes on dividends from her shares in Infosys, an Indian IT company founded by her father.

She later agreed to pay foreign taxes on her UK income and Mr Sunak was cleared of breaching the ministerial code.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the couple is worth £730 million.

 

Last night, Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, threw his hat into the ring. He is from the centre of the party, and called for a fresh start.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the former soldier said: “I am putting together a broad coalition of colleagues that will bring new energy and ideas to government and, finally, to bridge the Brexit divide that has dominated our recent history."

Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, has also expressed an interest in standing.

She put herself forward on Wednesday night before Boris Johnson had resigned, saying it would be "the greatest honour" to serve.

Influential Brexiteer Steve Baker and chair of the Northern Research Group Jake Berry, have both also said that they could consider a bid for the top job.

 Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former health secretary Sajid Javid, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, as well as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and ex-foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt are all possible contenders. 

So is Penny Mordaunt, the International Trade Minister. On Friday morning, Scottish Tory MP John Lamont described her as an "effective communicator" on Times Radio and "strong on the Union".

The only other declared candidate is little known backbencher, John Baron.

Asked who he was going to support on BBC Politics Live, the MP who has been in the Commons for 21 years, said: “I haven’t decided yet and part of the reason for that is I’ve been approached myself to consider it,” he said.

“I would be — if I decided to throw my hat in the ring — a newcomer. I don’t have eight signatures yet, so I’m going to take soundings over the weekend.”