Next UK prime minister: Sunak closes in after Johnson balks


              Members of the public look through the gates at Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Journalists wait outside Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Number 10 Downing Street is seen through the lens of a television camera waiting outside the office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              The Union flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announces that Rishi Sunak is to become the new leader of the Conservative party in the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt, left, and Andrea Leadsom arrive at the BBC studios, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. While the opposition Labour Party is demanding an election, the governing conservatives are pushing on with choosing another prime minister from within their own ranks, which they have the right to do because of the way Britain's parliamentary democracy works. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Rishi Sunak gestures as conservative MPs greet him after arriving at the Conservative Party leadership contest at the Conservative party Headquarters in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Rishi Sunak will become the next Prime Minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest.(AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Rishi Sunak, centre, gestures as conservative MPs greet him after arriving at the Conservative Party leadership contest at the Conservative party Headquarters in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Rishi Sunak will become the next Prime Minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest.(AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Rishi Sunak, centre, waves after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest at the Conservative party Headquarters in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Members of the public look through the gates at Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Journalists wait outside Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Number 10 Downing Street is seen through the lens of a television camera waiting outside the office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              The Union flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announces that Rishi Sunak is to become the new leader of the Conservative party in the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt, left, and Andrea Leadsom arrive at the BBC studios, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. While the opposition Labour Party is demanding an election, the governing conservatives are pushing on with choosing another prime minister from within their own ranks, which they have the right to do because of the way Britain's parliamentary democracy works. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Members of the public look through the gates at Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Journalists wait outside Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Number 10 Downing Street is seen through the lens of a television camera waiting outside the office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              The Union flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announces that Rishi Sunak is to become the new leader of the Conservative party in the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt, left, and Andrea Leadsom arrive at the BBC studios, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. While the opposition Labour Party is demanding an election, the governing conservatives are pushing on with choosing another prime minister from within their own ranks, which they have the right to do because of the way Britain's parliamentary democracy works. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Journalists wait outside Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Number 10 Downing Street is seen through the lens of a television camera waiting outside the office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announces that Rishi Sunak is to become the new leader of the Conservative party in the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt, left, and Andrea Leadsom arrive at the BBC studios, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. While the opposition Labour Party is demanding an election, the governing conservatives are pushing on with choosing another prime minister from within their own ranks, which they have the right to do because of the way Britain's parliamentary democracy works. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign office, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Britain's Rishi Sunak, centre, poses for a photo with members of the 1922 Committee, in the Houses of Parliament, after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party, in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.  Former Treasury chief Sunak, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
            
              The Union flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              The media begins to gather outside of 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              The Union flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              The media begins to gather outside of 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              The Union Flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Number 10, Downing Street as seen through the lens of a television camera waiting outside the office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              People walk past the Houses of Parliament in the background in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/David Cliff)
            
              The Union flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              The media begins to gather outside of 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              The Union Flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Number 10, Downing Street as seen through the lens of a television camera waiting outside the office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
            
              People walk past the Houses of Parliament in the background in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/David Cliff)
            
              The Union Flag flaps in the wind outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his home in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/David Cliff)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak arrives at the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his home in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/David Cliff)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak arrives at the campaign office in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Rishi Sunak leaves his home in London, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is frontrunner in the Conservative Party's race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. (AP Photo/David Cliff)
            
              Conservative Party leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt speaks to the media as she leaves the BBC studios, in London, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Next UK prime minister: Sunak closes in after Johnson balks