Tory MPs turn to Star Wars fan Rishi Sunak as ‘new hope’ without a single vote being cast
TORY MPs turned to Star Wars nut Rishi Sunak as their “new hope” yesterday — without a single vote being cast.
At 42 he will be the youngest PM for 200 years and is the first British-Asian in the job.
Mr Sunak is also the UK’s first Hindu leader and saw his victory come at the start of the Diwali religious festival.
The ex-Chancellor, who will today meet King Charles, said becoming PM was the “greatest privilege of my life”.
He also issued a “unite or die” warning to his party as he prepared to take over as PM.
His Tory rivals melted away yesterday after a last-ditch effort by Commons leader Penny Mordaunt to challenge his coronation flopped.
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With no opponent able to stop his storming rise, Rishi will become the nation’s 57th premier.
But yesterday he warned it was time for the Tory Party to get real or get wiped out as “this is an existential moment”.
The former Chancellor added: “We’ve got an economic crisis and a political crisis; the public will hold us accountable for it — unless we fix it now and we can.”
He insisted: “We’ve got time before the next election, we’ve got the talent, the energy and the ideas but we get one shot and no second chances.”
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Later, in his first address to the nation, Mr Sunak said it was the “greatest privilege of my life” to become PM and pledged to serve with “integrity and humility”.
He warned that the country faces “profound economic challenge” but said he was the man to deliver a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.
He received a hero’s welcome from supporting MPs who greeted him at Conservative HQ in Westminster for his victory speech.
Yet viewers were left baffled after Mr Sunak spoke for just 86 seconds before awkwardly shuffling off the stage.
At just 42 he will be the youngest PM for 200 years and the first British-Asian to hold the top job.
Mr Sunak will also be the UK’s first Hindu leader, with his victory coming on religious festival Diwali.
Sunak’s path to No10 was cleared yesterday after remaining rival Penny Mordaunt failed to get the 100 backers needed to take the latest leadership contest to the party members.
After a morning hammering the phones to court undecided MPs, she withdrew minutes before the 2pm deadline, declaring that “Rishi has my full support”.
She tweeted: “These are un- precedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country.”
Allies insist Ms Mordaunt was just shy with 90 supporters. But Mr Sunak’s army of MPs amounted to well over half the parliamentary party. But the writing was on the wall when the European Research Group of “Brexit Spartans” did not endorse Mr Sunak — or Ms Mordaunt.
Mr Sunak’s attempt to draw a line under months of squabbling was welcomed by colleagues.
His former leadership foe Liz Truss — who will make way for him seven weeks to the day after she beat him in the last contest — congratulated him, saying “you have my full support”.
He praised her for having served the nation with “dignity and grace” during “exceptionally difficult circumstances”. Mr Sunak added: “We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.”
But there was a deafening silence from Boris Johnson, who last night had not congratulated his ex-Downing Street neighbour.
The former PM abandoned a shock comeback bid late on Sunday night despite claiming he had 102 backers — enough for a second tilt at the job.
His failure to wish Mr Sunak well fuelled speculation that the pair failed to bury the hatchet during peace talks at the weekend.
Last night some grassroots Tories tore up their membership cards — furious that they did not get a say in the new party leader.
And a bombshell poll revealed the uphill struggle Mr Sunak faces to secure a historic fifth Tory general election win in a row.
A YouGov survey showed voters in 389 seats thought Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would make the best PM, compared with Mr Sunak’s 127.
The PM-elect dismissed calls for a general election — despite being the third person in No10 since voters had a say.
But Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope insisted “a general election is the only answer” to blunt Labour’s attacks that Mr Sunak does not have a mandate to govern.
Foreign Office minister Zac Goldsmith added: “I don’t see how we can have a third new Prime Minister and a policy programme miles away from the original manifesto — without going to the country.”
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Rishi Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need. We need a general election so the public get a say on the future of Britain.”
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Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry urged the whole party to unite behind Mr Sunak “as he gets on with the vital work of tackling the challenges we face as a country”.
He added: “The time for internal debates is well and truly over, and led by Rishi Sunak, I know we can and will deliver on the priorities of the British people.”
