Story by Rory Poulter

The appointment of a third prime minister since 2019 has triggered calls from Richmond politicians for a General Election.

Rishi Sunak claimed the leadership of the party and the job of Prime Minister after Penny Mordaunt joined Boris Johnson in pulling out of the race.

It is understood that Miss Mordaunt was unable to get enough MPs – 102 – needed to take the battle to a vote of party members. There is some dispute over Boris Johnson's claims to have met this threshold.

Richmond Park MP, Sarah Olney, said: "Rishi Sunak is the third Prime Minister in two months.

"The public must have a say on this revolving door of failed Conservatives in Downing Street, we need a General Election right now."

The Lib-Dem leader and Kingston MP, Ed Davey, said: "The Conservatives have trashed our economy, pushed health services to the brink, and added hundreds of pounds to people's mortgage payments.

"Now Conservative MPs have installed another out-of-touch Prime Minister without giving you a say.

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"We need General Election now."

MP for Twickenham Munira Wilson said: "The chaos we've witnessed in Westminster has been utterly infuriating, to say the least. Judging by the emails in my inbox and people stopping me in the street to share their views, I know that many local residents are as outraged as I am.

"Crowning yet another Conservative Prime Minister will just lead to more of the same – an out-of-touch Government that has no clue what hard-working people are going through, and no plan to fix the cost-of-living crisis and rescue our struggling public services.

"Rishi Sunak is not the change we need. What we need is a general election, so we can end the chaos and deliver the real change that the good people of this country, and of Twickenham, deserve."

Richmond's sole Conservative Councillor, Geoffrey Samuel, said he had long been a Sunak supporter. He rejected Boris Johnson, saying it would have been wrong to bring him back when he faced a Commons inquiry into allegations that he lied to MPs.

Cllr Samuel told Nub News: "I made it quite clear: no one facing an investigation by the Privileges' Committee should be considered."

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The Conservative Assembly member for south west London, Nick Rogers, said over the weekemd: "I love Penny and I think she'd be a great PM, but now is not her time.

"I urge MPs to support Rishi Sunak for the leadership."

Emma Ware, who has been chosen to stand in Twickenham for the Conservatives at the next General Election, had argued it was important that the next leader of the party was chosen by a vote of party members.

Ahead of today's announcement, she said she was disappointed that Boris Johnson had pulled out.

Later, she added: "If there are two clear candidates who have crossed the threshold then I would rightly expect the final vote to be put to the membership."