On 24 October 2022, Rishi Sunak was formally announced as the next prime minister, following the rapid Conservative leadership contest triggered by the resignation of Liz Truss. Sunak’s accession was secured without a single vote being cast by either Conservative MPs or the wider party membership.

The 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, chaired by Sir Graham Brady, set stringent rules in order to ensure an expedited contest with a narrow field of candidates. Those wishing to stand were required to secure at least 100 nominations from Conservative MPs by a 2:00 pm deadline on 24 October.

With 357 MPs in total, no more than three candidates could have qualified.

If three candidates reached the threshold, MPs would hold a ballot on the afternoon of 24 October to eliminate one. The final the two candidates would then be subjected to an indicative vote by MPs, before facing a ballot of party members – opening on 25 October and closing at 11:00 am on 28 October.

Sunak’s uncontested elevation meant these latter procedures were never tested.

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The leadership election was dominated by speculation over a potential comeback by Boris Johnson. The former prime minister sensationally flew back from a holiday in the Dominican Republic on the morning of Saturday 22 October. His supporters quickly claimed he had secured the support of the necessary 100 MPs to progress to a vote of the Tory membership.

At least six cabinet ministers endorsed Johnson in the October 2022 Tory leadership contest, namely Ben Wallace, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke, Chris Heaton-Harris, Alok Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

On the evening of 22 October, Johnson and Sunak – the ex-chancellor whose resignation precipitated his defenestration – met, reportedly to discuss the possibility of a joint ticket.

Johnson withdrew from the contest on 23 October, however, having yet to formally declare his candidacy. In a statement, the former PM said he had been “overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested” he should stand.

He added: “I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow.

“But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.”

Johnson’s withdrawal produced a two-way race between Sunak, the former chancellor and staunch critic of ‘Trussonomics’, and Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons.

Mordaunt was the first to announce her candidacy on 22 October, pledging “a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest.”

Both Sunak and Mordaunt had stood in the first Tory leadership contest of 2022, which ran from July to September following Johnson’s resignation as prime minister. Sunak finished second in that race – but not before he had placed his scathing criticisms of Liz Truss’ economic policy on the public record.

With the deadline approaching on 24 October, it was Mordaunt who was under pressure to secure the requisite 100 parliamentary supporters. Sunak had long surpassed the threshold.

In the end, Mordaunt failed to secure the necessary backers and withdrew two minutes before the 2:00 pm nomination deadline. She said Sunak had her “full support”.

Only 27 MPs had publicly backed Mordaunt’s nomination at the time of her withdrawal.

In a statement, she said: “Our party is our membership. Whether we are elected representatives, activists, fundraisers or supporters. We all have a stake in who our leader is.

“These are unprecedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country…

“As a result, 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. Rishi has my full support.”

At 2:00 pm on 24 October, Sir Graham declared Sunak as the next leader of the Conservative Party, and therefore prime minister.

In a public address following the announcement, Sunak paid tribute to Truss, his former opponent, for her “dignified” leadership “under difficult circumstances abroad and at home”.

He added: “It is the greatest privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I love and give back to the country I owe so much to… I pledge that I will service you with integrity and humility.”

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Sunak formally accepted King Charles III’s invitation to become prime minister the following day, on 25 October. He became the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years and the first British PM of Asian heritage.

In his first speech as prime minister in October 2022, Sunak vowed to lead a government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”. The declaration amounted to a specific pledge to restore public trust following the scandals that precipitated the downfall of Boris Johnson.

Brady later confirmed that Johnson had indeed secured the 100 MPs necessary to force a ballot of the Conservative membership – which he could well have won.