Rishi Sunak has signalled his belief that he has lost the Conservative leadership campaign by telling the media that his “goal is only to support a Conservative administration.”
The former chancellor stated to Sunday’s Laura Kuenssberg that he would continue to serve as an MP even if he did not become prime minister the following week.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of running for Conservative Party leader again.
The election to replace Boris Johnson as leader will be called on Monday.
Mr. Johnson’s resignation letter to the Queen will arrive the next day, and either Liz Truss or Mr. Sunak will take over as prime minister the day after that.
During the eight-week campaign, Ms. Truss’s vow of quick tax reduction stood in stark contrast to Mr. Sunak’s pledge to wait until inflation is under control before enacting tax cuts.
Because of his scathing criticism of Ms. Truss’ economic approach, which he claims would put the UK’s public finances at “serious peril,” worries have been raised about how Mr. Sunak may respond to a Truss-led administration.
When questioned about his plans for the future, Mr. Sunak said, “I look forward to aiding the Conservative government in whatever capacity.”
When asked if he was considering a second run for office, he gave the following response: “Our campaign just wrapped up. It’s time for me to get past this.”
Mr. Sunak, who has indicated that he will continue to serve as an MP, has called it “a fantastic honour” to represent the Richmond constituency in North Yorkshire.
“I hope to continue doing this for as long as they will have me.”
Earlier in the show, Ms. Truss promised to reveal her plan to curb growing energy costs within a week if she were elected prime minister.
In order to enhance domestic energy sources, she said, support will need to go “hand in hand” with related projects.
