Rishi Sunak will become Prime Minister after today being made Conservative Party leader, capping a meteoric rise to power that seemed all but over less than two months ago.
The GP's son from Southampton, whose Indian parents immigrated to Britain, retreated to the back benches last month after being swept aside by Liz Truss in the battle to replace Boris Johnson.
But after her chaotic premiership ended in ignominy after just 44 days the Richmond MP was today made Tory leader on Diwali, one of the religion's major festivals.
He will now visit the King to be appointed as the UK's first non-white and Hindu leader. The UK's first – and only other – minority prime minister was Benjamin Disraeli, who was Jewish, in 1874.
Mr Sunak, 42, took over after challenger Penny Mordaunt pulled out of the leadership race with two minutes to go. She conceded at 1.58pm after failing to get 100 backers for her bid.
It caps a political journey that began seven years ago when he replaced William Hague in his Yorkshire seat at the 2015 election.
Mr Sunak only got his first ministerial job four years ago but became Chancellor of the Exchequer aged 39 in 2020.
He will become the youngest PM in the modern era to enter No 10, at the age of 42 – younger even than David Cameron in 2010 and Tony Blair in 1997.
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