Mumbai, October 21: After UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned as the leader of the Conservative party, the race to who will replace her as the next PM of United Kingdom has gotten interesting. Truss, who took oath as UK's Prime Minister, resigned after being in office for about 45 days. After Truss' exit, former UK PM Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are among frontrunners for the UK PM post.

Speaking to the media, Truss said, "Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party." While Truss continues to remain as the acting PM until a new leader is selected, the election to elect UK's next prime minister is all set to be held on October 28. Liz Truss Resigns As UK PM After Only 45 Days in Office, Rishi Sunak Gets Another Chance For Britain Prime Minister Post.

Rishi Sunak Emerges As Favourite:

With Truss all set to step down, Indian-origin Rishi Sunak is speculated to be the frontrunner to lead UK. However, Sunak might face heathy competition from former PM Boris Johnson, who is also keen to come back as the country's PM. According to reports, the 58-year-old leader is planning to make a comeback as PM and has even sought Sunak's help, in whose favour the odds are.

Liz Truss Resigns As UK Prime Minister

Reportedly, after Truss' decision to step down as Conservative party leader, Johnson urged Conservative MPs including Rishi Sunak to back him to come as the country's PM once again. However, seems like Johnson might just need more than appeals and requests. Reports suggest that Tories have vowed to quit if Johnson is re-elected as the leader of the Conservative party. Reportedly, the Tories are not in favoir of Johnson as such, they might not back him in the elections too. Rishi Sunak or Penny Mordaunt or Boris Johnson: Who Can Be New UK PM After Liz Truss’ Exit?.

If Johnson wants to get re-elected as UK's next PM, he will require at least 100 Tory MPs. As per reports, after Truss' decision to step down, Johnson has backing of 50 MPs followed by Sunak who has support of 39 MPs. Meanwhile, another candidate in the race is Penny Mordaunt, former defence secretary who has support of 17 MPs.

If Johnson is re-elected as the leader of the Conservative party, he will create history by becoming the third prime minister to return for a second stint after leaving office. Before him, only Winston Churchill and Labour's Harold Wilson have managed to make a comeback.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 21, 2022 11:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).