Rishi Sunak takes lead in race to be Tory leader as rivals struggle to gain support

150 MPs declare for former chancellor as doubts cast on Boris Johnson’s ability to secure enough votes for comeback

Rishi Sunak has surged ahead in the race to be Conservative leader while Boris Johnson was mounting a last-ditch scramble to shore up support among MPs, amid warnings his return as prime minister would lead to a political crisis within a week.

As more senior party figures cautioned that a Johnson comeback would lead to chaos and an early election, Sunak won the support of 150 MPs – just shy of the number needed to keep all but one other rival candidate getting on the slate.

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​150 MPs declare for former chancellor as doubts cast on Boris Johnson’s ability to secure enough votes for comebackRishi Sunak has surged ahead in the race to be Conservative leader while Boris Johnson was mounting a last-ditch scramble to shore up support among MPs, amid warnings his return as prime minister would lead to a political crisis within a week.As more senior party figures cautioned that a Johnson comeback would lead to chaos and an early election, Sunak won the support of 150 MPs – just shy of the number needed to keep all but one other rival candidate getting on the slate. Continue reading…