RISHI Sunak has formally thrown his hat into the ring to become the next prime minister.
The former chancellor follows Penny Mordaunt as officially declaring his candidacy to become the next leader of the Conservatives and prime minister.
The contest has been launched following the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister just six weeks into the top job.
Mr Sunak has already secured the support of more than 100 Tory MPs – the threshold needed to get onto the leadership ballot paper.
Ms Mordaunt has yet to receive 100 public endorsements from Conservative MPs, as has Boris Johnson, who is yet to officially declare he is putting himself forward.
Mr Sunak tweeted: “The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis.
“That’s why I am standing to be leader of the Conservative Party and your next prime minister.
“I want to fix our economy, unite our party and deliver for our country.”
Declaring his ambition to become prime minister, Mr Sunak wrote: “I served as your chancellor, helping to steer our economy through the toughest of times.
“The challenges we face now are even greater. But the opportunities, if we make the right choice, are phenomenal.
“I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto.
“There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done.
“I am asking you for the opportunity to help fix our problems. To lead our party and country forwards towards the next general election, confident in our record, firm in our convictions and ready to lead again”.
Mr Sunak on Sunday gained three more valuable backers in new Home Secretary Grant Shapps, Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith and Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, an influential figure on the Tory right as the former head of backbench Brexiteers.
Tory big beast Mr Shapps, who also threw his weight behind Mr Sunak in the last leadership contest against Liz Truss, tweeted that the ex-chancellor would “provide stability and proven economic competence in these challenging times”.
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