Rishi Sunak: Who is the former chancellor candidate for prime minister?

Rishi Sunak resigns from government alongside Sajid Javid July 5 sparked a landslide that saw more than 50 Tory ministers follow suit in a chaotic 40-hour period that finally ended Boris Johnson's scandal-ridden tenure as Prime Minister.

< p>With the Prime Minister's departure, the 42-year-old former Chancellor initially found himself leading the parliamentary stage of the contest to replace him, but has since fallen behind the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in what is now a two-horse straight race.

Mr. Sunak had moved quickly to set up a campaign headquarters in a Westminster hotel immediately after stepping down and quickly launched a clever promotional video, hoping to evoke warm memories of his generosity when Covid-19 pushed through. Britain for the first time in spring 2020.

This period, during which he became the new face of the £69bn furlough scheme keeping citizens in work and even was dubbed 'Dishy Rishi', was a happy for Mr Sunak in which he won acclaim as a spendthrift chancellor known for posing behind his laptop in a hoodie and carrying plates around Wagamama to promote his Eat initiative Out to Help Out.

< p>But this year has proven to be more of a rollercoaster for Mr Sunak, who started 2022 as the most likely man to succeed Mr Johnson – so embou rbé in Partygate – before being shot down by controversy over his family's tax arrangements, only to then turn things around once again this month.

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