Sunak could be declared next British prime minister within hours after Johnson abandons bid

Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office in London (Belinda Jiao/PA)

Rishi Sunak could be declared the next prime minister within hours after Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the race for No 10, with uncertainty over rival Penny Mordaunt’s prospects of securing sufficient support from MPs.

Tory MPs will choose who they want to be their new leader in the first stage of the contest on Monday, should both remaining candidates get the 100 nominations required to reserve a place on the ballot.