After Boris Johnson stepped down from his post as the Prime Minister, former finance minister of UK, Rishi Sunak, who had resigned from Johnson’s cabinet, has announced his bid to succeed him.

Also read: How India reacted to UK PM Boris Johnson’s resignation

“I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister. Let’s restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country,” Sunak tweeted. 

Sunak, 42, is one of the candidates who has announced their wish to replace Johnson at 10 Downing Street. While he has been touted to be an able candidate, his popularity took some beating in the recent months when he announced tax hikes to counter the rising inflation and cost-of-living crisis.

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“We need to make sure that’s not the end of the British Indian story. There’s lots more we can achieve. There’s lots more we can do. And I’m really excited about the future,” he recently said in answer to if he would become the first British Indian Prime Minister of the UK.

Rishi Sunak resigned from Boris Johnson’s cabinet earlier and later criticised the government, particularly the former PM over his decision.

“It has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different. The public rightly expects the government to be conducted properly, competently, and seriously,” Sunak wrote in his resignation letter to the PM. 

“I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” he added.

The 42-year-old Indian-origin politician is the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy. However, he is not the only Indian-origin politician to replace Boris Johnson. Attorney general Suella Braverman is yet another Indian-origin politician who has announced her candidacy for the role of Prime Minister of UK.

A Conservative Party committee is scheduled to set the rules for the procedure to replace Boris Johnson as the Prime Minister in the forthcoming week.