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| Rishi Sunak calls for stability and unity as he wins contest to be PM | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Rishi Sunak was surrounded by | |
| Rishi Sunak has issued a plea for unity in the face of a "profound economic challenge" after winning the race to be the next prime minister. | |
| He won the Tory leadership contest after rival Penny Mordaunt failed to secure enough backing from MPs. | |
| In his first speech, Mr Sunak said bringing his party and the UK together would be his "utmost priority". | |
| Mr Sunak will become the UK's first British Asian prime minister and the youngest for more than 200 years. | |
| Mr Sunak - a 42-year-old practising Hindu - is expected to take office in the coming days now the result of the Tory leadership contest is known. | Mr Sunak - a 42-year-old practising Hindu - is expected to take office in the coming days now the result of the Tory leadership contest is known. |
| Follow live updates as Rishi Sunak wins contest to be PM | Follow live updates as Rishi Sunak wins contest to be PM |
| A quick guide to the UK's next prime minister | A quick guide to the UK's next prime minister |
| What does the prime minister actually do? | What does the prime minister actually do? |
| Labour has led calls for a general election before Mr Sunak takes office as the third Conservative prime minister since the party won the last one in 2019. | |
| Mr Sunak addressed Tory MPs after the result was announced by Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservatives. | |
| In the speech - which took place behind closed doors - Mr Sunak told them this was going to be a tough period and ruled out an early general election, MP Simon Hoare said. | |
| The former chancellor said the Conservative Party, trailing Labour in the polls by huge margins, was facing an "existential threat", but could win the next election by uniting. | |
| In a TV address that lasted less than two minutes, Mr Sunak promised to serve with "integrity" and thanked outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss for leading the country during "exceptionally difficult circumstances". | |
| "The United Kingdom is a great country but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge," he said. "We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together." | |
| The King will appoint Mr Sunak, who will take over from Ms Truss following her resignation just 45 days into her tumultuous premiership last week. | The King will appoint Mr Sunak, who will take over from Ms Truss following her resignation just 45 days into her tumultuous premiership last week. |
| Mr Sunak's coronation, in effect, as Tory leader caps a rapid political comeback by the former chancellor after he lost out to Ms Truss in the last leadership contest during the summer. | Mr Sunak's coronation, in effect, as Tory leader caps a rapid political comeback by the former chancellor after he lost out to Ms Truss in the last leadership contest during the summer. |
| Ms Truss - whose tax-cutting agenda Mr Sunak dismissed as "fairytale economics" - tweeted to congratulate him and offer her "full support". | Ms Truss - whose tax-cutting agenda Mr Sunak dismissed as "fairytale economics" - tweeted to congratulate him and offer her "full support". |
| Her successor will take office at a time of economic crisis and pressure on public finances, exacerbated by Ms Truss's mini-budget, most of which has been scrapped. | |
| Watch: Rishi Sunak makes first public address since winning Tory leadership contest | |
| Watch: Rishi Sunak makes first public address since winning Tory leadership contest | |
| Conservative Party Chairman Jake Berry said it was time for the party to "unite four-square behind Rishi" after a period of intense political turmoil under Ms Truss's premiership. | Conservative Party Chairman Jake Berry said it was time for the party to "unite four-square behind Rishi" after a period of intense political turmoil under Ms Truss's premiership. |
| Ms Mordaunt withdrew from the latest contest minutes before the result was announced, admitting it was "clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today". | Ms Mordaunt withdrew from the latest contest minutes before the result was announced, admitting it was "clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today". |
| "This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party," Ms Mordaunt said. "Rishi has my full support." | |
| Ms Mordaunt took the leadership race to the wire, but came under pressure to unite behind Mr Sunak after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson withdrew from the contest on Sunday. | |
| Mr Johnson - who resigned as prime minister only seven weeks ago - claimed he had enough support to stand but acknowledged now was "not the right time". | Mr Johnson - who resigned as prime minister only seven weeks ago - claimed he had enough support to stand but acknowledged now was "not the right time". |
| Sources told the BBC that Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson met on Saturday as Tory MPs decided who to back in the second Tory leadership contest in four months. | Sources told the BBC that Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson met on Saturday as Tory MPs decided who to back in the second Tory leadership contest in four months. |
| Mr Sunak was chancellor in Mr Johnson's government and within weeks of taking the role had to steer the UK economy through the Covid-19 pandemic. | |
| But he quit as chancellor in July after the government was dogged by scandals, giving momentum to a cabinet mutiny that forced Mr Johnson from office. | |
| First elected as an MP for the constituency of Richmond in North Yorkshire in 2015, Mr Sunak has experienced a meteoric rise to the apex of British politics. | |
| Before becoming an MP, Mr Sunak worked in finance and is thought to be one of the richest MPs. | |
| But his family's finances came under intense scrutiny earlier this year, when the tax affairs of his wife, Akshata Murty, were placed in the spotlight. | |
| Rishi Sunak: The basics | Rishi Sunak: The basics |
| Age: 42 | Age: 42 |
| Place of birth: Southampton | Place of birth: Southampton |
| Home: London and Yorkshire | Home: London and Yorkshire |
| Education: Winchester College, Oxford University, Stanford University | Education: Winchester College, Oxford University, Stanford University |
| Family: Married to businesswoman Akshata Murty with two daughters | Family: Married to businesswoman Akshata Murty with two daughters |
| Parliamentary constituency: Richmond (Yorkshire) | Parliamentary constituency: Richmond (Yorkshire) |
| Opposition parties have been clamouring for a general election, arguing that Mr Sunak does not have a democratic mandate to become prime minister. | Opposition parties have been clamouring for a general election, arguing that Mr Sunak does not have a democratic mandate to become prime minister. |
| Mr Sunak will be the fourth consecutive prime minister - after Theresa May, Mr Johnson and Ms Truss - to take the role of leader without a general election, although Mrs May and Mr Johnson both won general elections as PMs in 2017 and 2019. | |
| The next general election is not due to take place until at least 2024, after the Conservatives won a landslide majority in 2019. | |
| Mr Sunak is under no obligation to call an early election under the UK's parliamentary political system. | Mr Sunak is under no obligation to call an early election under the UK's parliamentary political system. |
| Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Sunak had been crowned prime minister "without him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote". | Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Sunak had been crowned prime minister "without him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote". |
| Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Tory MPs had "installed another out-of-touch prime minister with no plan to repair the damage and without giving the British people a say". | Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Tory MPs had "installed another out-of-touch prime minister with no plan to repair the damage and without giving the British people a say". |
| Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Sunak should call an early general election and must not "unleash another round of austerity". | Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Sunak should call an early general election and must not "unleash another round of austerity". |