Rishi Sunak to become next UK prime minister amid political turmoil

Former British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday won leadership of the Conservative Party and is set to become the United Kingdom’s prime minister, the country’s third this year. 

His last standing competitor, Penny Mordaunt, dropped out of the race on Monday. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had ended a brief bid to reclaim the prime minister seat the day before. 

“We have now chosen our next Prime Minister. This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party. … We all owe it to the country, to each other, and to Rishi to unite,” Mordaunt said in a Twitter statement. 

Sunak is set to become the country’s first leader of color, filling the vacancy left by Prime Minister Liz Truss, who resigned Thursday after just 45 days in office.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.