THE second cabinet minister to resign prompting the downfall of Boris Johnson’s government, Rishi Sunak has reportedly been planning his leadership for months.
The former chancellor has come under fire in recent months for his finances, holding a US green card and his wife’s non-dom status.
He currently has the most endorsements of all 10 candidates - but will it be enough to see him through to the final two?
READ MORE: Penny Mordaunt: As a member of the Royal Navy I can 'defeat' SNP
Who is Rishi Sunak?
A relatively unknown MP for Richmond (Yorks) just four years ago, Sunak was parachuted into the chancellor’s seat as Johnson reshuffled his Cabinet in 2020, after fellow contender Sajid Javid quit after Johnson and Dominic Cummings reportedly demanded he dismiss his advisers.
Sunak has since then presided over the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, furlough, raising the National Insurance contribution, scrabbing the pensions triple lock, writing off over £40 billion in Covid fraud and numerous other damaging policy decisions.
Before politics, Sunak attended plush private boarding school Winchester College, before going on to study politics at Oxford and then Stanford University in California on a Fullbright scholarship.
What is Rishi Sunak pledging if he wins the leadership contest?
Sunak is the only prime ministerial hopeful who has not pledged swinging tax cuts in a bid to tackle the cost of living crisis.
Instead, Sunak has said he would not sell voters a “fairytale” and criticised his opponents for suggesting a policy plan that is “not credible”.
In his first leadership pitch to the Mail on Sunday, Sunak said he would reverse the trend of gender-neutral language, adding: “We must be able to call a mother a mother and talk about breastfeeding”.
What has Rishi Sunak said about Scotland?
In July last year, Sunak said that Scottish independence was not what voters wanted him to focus on.
However in 2017 he said that blocking a referendum would not be the right choice, adding: "It seems hard to block a referendum but we should push the timing until after Brexit so the choice is clearer for people. A good deal will strengthen the case for the Union.”
By 2020, a colleague of Sunak's claimed that he had insisted England should break away from the rest of the UK to maximise profits, which Sunak later denied. In December 2019, Sunak told journalist Andrew Marr that indyref2 should not take place under any circumstances.
In June 2022, Sunak claimed that the Scottish Government was “imposing austerity” as he dodged calls to bring in more assistance for the cost of living crisis.
During a visit to Aberdeen in the same month, Sunak was criticised for dodging media scrutiny as he met with oil and gas bosses to discuss the windfall tax.
READ MORE: Fife Council frozen as Labour leader takes two month holiday - and a pay rise
Who is backing Rishi Sunak for leader?
Sunak has the highest number of Tory MPs backing him for the leadership - with 44 publicly coming out in support since the launch of his campaign.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab joined Sunak’s team and opened his launch event on Tuesday, while Grant Shapps pulled out of the race to join Sunak’s team.
Other notable endorsements include: energy minister Greg Hands, former trade minister Liam Fox, former Scotland Office PPS Ruth Edwards and Aberdeenshire MP Andrew Bowie.
What is Rishi Sunak’s voting record?
The multimillionare has frequently voted for a reduction in welfare benefits, a stricter immigration system and stronger enforcement of immigration rules.
Sunak has also generally voted against further integration with the EU and for military action in a number of circumstances. He also voted against removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords and making the chamber fully elected.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here