Rishi Sunak hints he may keep on as Tory chief if he loses General Election
Rishi Sunak has hinted he could stay as Tory leader if he loses the General Election on Thursday.
The PM looks set to lead his party to a dire defeat at the polls this week but has suggested he could battle on as leader of the Conservative Party. It is widely expected Mr Sunak would stand down, with senior Tories already plotting a takeover of his job.
Asked by the BBC’s Chris Mason if he will stay on as leader if his party loses at the July 4 poll, Mr Sunak said: “Look, Chris look my priority is focused on this election, right, I love this party dearly and of course I’ll always put myself at the service of it, and the service of my country.”
Mr Mason replied: “Sounds like a yes.” The PM continued: “My priority over the next few days is to focus on winning this election and the choice for everyone is really clear. I don’t want everyone to sleepwalk into the danger of a Labour government, particularly one with an unchecked majority.
“I want to cut people’s taxes, I want to protect their pensions, I want to cut migration. I have a plan to do those things, I’ve got a track record over the last 18 months on making progress on all those issues, and that’s the choice for everyone to think about on Thursday.”
The PM also insisted he’ll stay on as an MP if he is elected in Richmond and Northallerton. “I love my constituents, I love serving them, you know that was my day job and you know that, you know how passionate I am about our life and my home in north Yorkshire,” he said.
It comes as the Times reported websites had been registered for suspected Tory leadership hopefuls. Several websites that match the names of Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman have been set up in recent months. The pair are understood to have denied that they or their team had anything to do with the websites.
Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker has also hinted he wants to be the next leader. Quizzed about reports, he said: “One thing at a time. I want to represent the people of Wycombe the best that I can, as I always have done. Then let’s see what happens.”
