By Ben Kerrigan-
Tory supporters have cancelled their membership of the party after Mr Sunak was named as Liz Truss’s successor.
A number of conservative members have expressed disillusion with the fact they were unable to participate in the election process of selecting the next prime minister and have grown disillusioned with the party following the internal disputes and division within the party. Johnson’s resignation followed by Liz Truss’s appointment then resignation within weeks, has made the party a laughingstock. Sunak’s outright victory on the face of it provides a clean break from the political mess that has set the party back, but many are still deeply upset and disappointed by the way he rose to power.
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Mr Sunak is expected to address the nation around 11.35am on Tuesday, before entering No 10 as the UK’s first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42.
Johnson loyalists have questioned his mandate. Nadine Dorries said Mr Sunak faces “a very difficult situation” because he “didn’t have a mandate from the public to lead the Conservative Party”.
She told TalkTV: “What Boris Johnson knew about Partygate, Rishi knew. Rishi was fined as well … Why do you think Boris is more guilty of Partygate than Rishi is?”
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But Mr Johnson has not yet publicly congratulated Mr Sunak – a sign of remaining animosity after complaining on Sunday that his ex-chancellor would not “come together in the national interest” with him.
Samuel Jukes, a retail worker Tory member from Birmingham who supports Mr Johnson, said a general election should now be called as Mr Sunak “has no mandate”.
muel Jukes, a retail worker from Birmingham who joined the Tories in 2019 and was supporting Boris Johnson in the contest, said a general election should now be called as Mr Sunak “has no mandate”.
“I’m fuming right now, we never voted for Rishi Sunak,” the 33-year-old told PA. “Rishi has no mandate. Right now I’m ashamed to be a Conservative member.”
Lyn Bond, a 60-year-old retired nurse, cancelled her membership after Ms Mordaunt failed to receive 100 nominations and it was confirmed Mr Sunak will lead the party without a contest.
“It has been destroyed from within,” Ms Bond told the PA news agency. “I can’t bring myself after 40 years to support them anymore, I don’t trust them. Very unsettling … It’s insidious the way they’ve got Rishi Sunak in – they wanted him in, and he’s in.”
But some members of Conservative associations as well as local councillors said they were “delighted” by how the contest played out.
Carole Jones, a Tory councillor for Dorset Council, also said: “I’m quite pleased we didn’t have a vote,” before telling ministers to “get their bloody act together”.
Polling indicates the struggle Mr Sunak faces in winning back the public to the Tory party.
The latest YouGov survey shows Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is favoured as the “best PM” in 389 constituencies – compared to Mr Sunak coming out on top in only 127.
Some 38 per cent said they were pleased he will take on the top job, while 41 per cent said they were disappointed. A majority – 56 per cent – wanted Mr Sunak to call an early general election.
Tory MP Victoria Atkins, a senior Sunak backer, said there was no reason for an election because “we’ve got a lot to deal with”.
She told Sky News on Tuesday: “We elect a party. It’s a Conservative manifesto in 2019. We don’t have a presidential system.”
Roy Aldcroft, a Conservative councillor at Shropshire Council, said: “I’m very pleased it has been sorted out, that we will now have a clear path to sort out the many problems that we will be facing this winter.
“The fact that we did not get an opportunity to vote, I’m sure some members were quite upset about that but to be quite honest we need to put the country first.”
Carole Jones, a Conservative councillor for Dorset Council, also said: “I’m quite pleased we didn’t have a vote,” adding she is “more than happy” with the outcome.
“If our MPs do not get behind Rishi (Sunak) now, when we come up for election, people like us will be mullered,” she said before telling them to “get their bloody act together”.
Ramji Kanji Chauhan, deputy mayor of Harrow, said he agrees that the quick leadership process has been better than going to a vote among members.
“With a vote, it goes on for a long time, we make the country unsettled,” he told PA.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea council, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Rishi is going to be prime minister.
“I think we need stability now,” she said, adding that the turbulence has been difficult for councils who need “clarity” so they can plan.
On Mr Sunak, Mrs Campbell said he is “sensible”, “clever” and “decent”, adding: “It is quite nice to have a grown-up back in control.”
Senior Tory MP Robert Halfon, a Sunak backer, said the Tories would be lucky to get “one last chance” to regain public trust after the disastrous mini-Budget.
“If we’re lucky, we’re going to be given one last chance by the public,” he told Times Radio. “Most people in the party want to come together and recognise that we have to be unified, not for just the sake of the party, but for the sake of the country.”
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