[Lucy.Honey]

Ben Wallace is the bookies' favourite to succeed Mr Johnson as Tory leader and prime minister, having risen up the party's popularity rankings in recent months.

https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sun...ation-12648312

Rishi Sunak has announced he is standing to be the next prime minister after Boris Johnson's resignation yesterday.

Announcing his bid, Mr Sunak said the country faces "huge challenges".

"Let's restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country," he posted on social media.

The former chancellor resigned from his ministerial post on Tuesday evening, just moments after Sajid Javid quit as health secretary.

They kicked off an avalanche of resignations as Mr Johnson faced questions about his handling of the row over disgraced MP Chris Pincher, which ultimately led to the prime minister agreeing to step aside on Thursday.




In a video uploaded alongside a tweet pitching himself as the next Conservative leader, Mr Sunak said: "I want to lead this country in the right direction."

He also stressed his experience during the pandemic as an example of why he is fit for the job.

"I ran the toughest department in government during the toughest times when we faced the nightmare of COVID," he continued.

"My values are non-negotiable: patriotism, fairness, hard work.

"We've had enough of division.

"Politics at its best is a unifying endeavour and I have spent my career bringing people together. Because that is the only way to succeed."




Mr Sunak's video address added that the UK cannot tell itself "comforting fairy tales".

"Do we confront this moment with honesty, seriousness and determination, or do we tell ourselves comforting fairy tales that might make us feel better in the moment but will leave our children worse off tomorrow?" he continued.

"Someone has to grip this moment and make the right decisions. That's why I'm standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your prime minister."

Mr Sunak said he would set out his vision in the "coming days and weeks".