He apologized to his party colleagues and the nation in his farewell speech (File)
London:
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spent the weekend calling Conservative Party candidates who lost their seats in last week’s general election to apologize for the party’s worst performance at the polls, with just 121 seats in the House of Commons. .
Several former Members of Parliament told The Daily Telegraph about the “very nice call” they received from the British Indian MP, who won his own seat in Richmond and Northallerton in Yorkshire and remains Leader of the Opposition until that the conservatives elect his successor. .
The 44-year-old apologized to his party colleagues and the nation in his farewell speech at 10 Downing Street on Friday, when he also announced his resignation as Conservative leader after the Labor Party won a landslide victory with 411 parliamentarians in a dispute of 650 votes. Commons seat.
“He took the time to call me on Saturday night and I think he took the time to call other MPs. He was calling to say he was sorry I had lost my seat,” one ousted Conservative MP was quoted as saying.
“To all the Conservative candidates and activists who have worked tirelessly but without success, I am sorry that we have not been able to deliver what your efforts deserved,” Sunak said in his speech last week.
Frontrunners to replace him as party leader are working behind the scenes to shore up their support. Former home secretary Suella Braverman, who has been openly critical of Sunak’s leadership, is among the candidates, but her campaign received an early blow when one of her supporters switched allegiance to her former cabinet colleague Robert Jenrick.
Others in the race include two more former home secretaries, Priti Patel and James Cleverly, and former business secretary Kemi Badenoch. Other former Sunak Cabinet ministers, Victoria Atkins and Tom Tugendhat, are also expected to throw their hat into the ring when the contours of the contest are defined by the party’s 1922 Committee – which will elect its new president after the election.
Meanwhile, the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, spent his first weekend in office traveling to different parts of the United Kingdom, starting with Scotland. He will then embark on his first overseas visit as prime minister of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), meeting in Washington to set the tone for his Labor government’s relations with the administration of US President Joe Biden and others. international allies.
On Saturday, he spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders agreed to meet at the “earliest opportunity.”
“Discussing the Free Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister said he was ready to conclude a deal that works for both sides. The leaders looked forward to meeting at the earliest opportunity,” a Downing Street spokesperson said of the call.
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