Received

Rishi Sunak looks set to become Britain's next prime minister after his rival Boris Johnson quit the race, admitting he could no longer unite their party following one of the most turbulent periods in British political history.

Sunak, the 42-year-old former finance minister, could become Britain's third prime minister in less than two months on Monday, tasked with restoring stability to a country reeling from years of political and economic turmoil.

The multi-millionaire former hedge fund boss would be expected to launch deep spending cuts to try to rebuild Britain's fiscal reputation, just as the country slides into a recession, dragged down by the surging cost of energy and food.

"The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis," Sunak said in a brief statement declaring his candidacy to lead the Conservative Party, and thereby become prime minister.

Britain has been locked in a state of perma-crisis ever since it voted in 2016 to leave the European Union, unleashing a battle at Westminster over the future of the country that remains unresolved to this today.

The latest bout of drama has drawn dismay in foreign capitals and ridicule from the world's press.

Johnson, the face of the Brexit vote, led his party to a landslide victory in 2019, only to be driven out of office less than three years later after a series of scandals. His successor Liz Truss lasted just 44 days before she quit over an economic policy that trashed the country's economic credibility.

Sunak, who has not said how he plans to govern, will inherit a party riven by ideology and with some lawmakers still blaming him for the demise of Johnson after he quit in the summer, triggering a ministerial rebellion.

The withdrawal of the former prime minister late on Sunday also left some ministers and lawmakers feeling angry for looking foolish after they backed him to return to Downing Street, only to have to change course and endorse Sunak hours later.

Sunak could become prime minister if Penny Mordaunt fails to get the backing of 100 lawmakers by 2pm on Monday.

Mordaunt, leader of parliament's House of Commons, has received the backing of around 90 politicians, according to a source in her team. Nearly 190 have backed Sunak, Sky reported.

Should she fail to reach the threshold, Sunak would become prime minister. If she makes it on to the ballot, the party's members - some of whom hold Sunak responsible for bringing down Johnson - will select the winner on Friday.

Finance minister Jeremy Hunt - the fourth in four months - is due to present a budget on October 31 to plug a black hole in the public finances that is expected to have ballooned to up to STG40 billion ($A71 billion).

Investors have at least been given some reassurance that Johnson will not contest the crown.

The former prime minister, who raced home from a holiday in the Caribbean, said on Sunday that while he had sufficient support, he realised he could not govern effectively while the party remained fractured along ideological lines.

"Boris has bottled it," the Metro newspaper said on its front page as many lawmakers questioned whether he had actually secured the backing of 100 lawmakers. By Sunday just over 50 said publicly they would back Johnson.

Sunak came to national attention when, aged 39, he became finance minister under Johnson just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit Britain, developing the successful furlough scheme.

If chosen, the former Goldman Sachs analyst would be the United Kingdom's first prime minister of Indian origin.

After graduating from Oxford University, he went to Stanford University where he met his wife Akshata Murthy, whose father is Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of outsourcing giant Infosys Ltd.

© AP 2022

A woman's body has been recovered from a flooded river's edge in the NSW central west as the premier warns a major flood emergency is in full swing.

A multi-agency search began late Sunday after a woman, 28, disappeared when the vehicle she was in was washed off a causeway near Gulgong, north of Mudgee.

Three people, including the 45-year-old male driver and two male passengers, escaped the vehicle, but the woman was swept away.

After an extensive search, a body believed to be the missing 28-year-old was found on the riverbank at 9.50am on Monday.

Premier Dominic Perrottet extended his condolences to the woman's family and friends, and urged people not to drive on flooded roads.

"We have a major flood emergency in full swing right across our state," Mr Perrottet told reporters on Monday.

"If it is flooded, forget it. You wouldn't drive into a bushfire - don't drive into the floodwaters."

Some 135 SES warnings are in place across the state, including 20 emergency evacuation warnings.

Some 43 local government areas are subject to a natural disaster declaration.

Some 27 flood warnings are current, including nine where floods could reach major levels.

The premier reiterated pleas for people in evacuation zones to follow advice to leave when instructed to do so.

"Do not wait for a knock on the door from the SES. Please evacuate."

The SES received some 482 calls for help and carried out 37 flood rescues in the last 24 hours, with crews from WA arriving to assist to 550 volunteers on the ground on Monday.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for much of inland NSW on Monday afternoon, with a warning of damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy falls across a large warning area.

The danger zone extends from Wentworth in the west to Bourke in the north, and Moree and Inverell in the central north, and Mudgee, Orange and Katoomba in the east, with towns likely to be affected including Orange, Tamworth, Dubbo, Cobar, Bourke and Lightning Ridge.

A second low pressure system off the coast of Yamba in Northern NSW is bringing heavy falls to the Northern Rivers, however fears of major flooding in the area have eased, the Bureau of Meteorology's Steven Bernasconi says.

A severe weather warning that covered much of NSW was cancelled on Monday despite the Northern Rivers town of Alstonville receiving 233mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period, and multiple other areas receiving more than 100mm.

Rain and possible severe thunderstorms will continue on Tuesday across the South Coast, before the weather eases on Wednesday.

There are also concerns for the far northern agricultural town of Moree, experiencing its worst flooding in a decade, where farmers had been preparing to harvest crops.

The Mehi River at Moree peaked at 10.5 metres on Sunday and is expected to remain above the major flood level (8.8m) into Tuesday.

Further grants for primary producers, small businesses and rural and regional councils may also be on the way, with the premier saying he has requested further assistance from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

"Those primary producers have gone through a very difficult time," Mr Perrottet said.

The premier, who will tour flood-impacted parts of the state this week, said he wanted to ensure no community was left behind, and grants would be a partnership between the state and the Commonwealth.

Moree Plains Shire Mayor Mark Johnson said there was a sense of relief on Sunday night when the river started to recede but also apprehension about the clean-up.

Authorities are watching the southern border town of Moama, with major flooding expected on Tuesday, when the Murray River peaks at 94.9m above sea level.

The Murray's peak at Moama is expected to break a peak level set in both 1993 and 1975.

© AAP 2022

A body believed to be that of a woman who went missing in NSW floodwaters has been found on a riverbank in the state's central west.

The 28-year-old went missing late on Sunday after a vehicle was swept off a causeway at Cooyal Creek at Gulgong, north of Mudgee.

Three people managed to escape the vehicle and make their way to safety when it was inundated.

Police say a 45-year-old male driver and two male passengers - aged 43 and 26 - survived but a third passenger, a woman in her 20s, was swept away after escaping the vehicle.

After an extensive search, police say the body of a woman was found on the riverbank about 10am on Monday.

"While she is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of the missing 28-year-old woman," police said in a statement.

Premier Dominic Perrottet extended his condolences to the woman's family.

Two weather systems are causing cause more pain for NSW residents in already flooded areas as emergency services prepare more people for evacuations.

More than 140 flood warnings and 15 evacuation warnings are in place across NSW, with almost every corner of the state at risk.

There are 550 State Emergency Services volunteers in the field, with reinforcements from WA due to arrive on Monday.

The crisis engulfing the state comes as more rainfall records are smashed after Sydney on Monday marked its wettest October - 286.8mm of rain - in the 165 years of record-keeping.

October is the third month to set a rainfall record in Sydney this year and Weatherzone reports Sydney's annual rainfall has reached 2387.6mm, easily its wettest year.

Residents at Lismore in the Northern Rivers region were told to prepare to evacuate on Sunday night amid the prospect of a third major flood in eight months.

Some low-lying parts of south Lismore are already under water, although the flooding is unlikely to be as severe as the inundation that hit the area earlier this year.

The Bureau of Meteorology said heavy rainfall eased over the northeast on Monday morning but widespread thunderstorms across much of inland NSW was predicted for Tuesday, bringing heavy rain, damaging winds and hail before conditions ease on Wednesday.

Moderate flooding is likely along the Wilsons River at Lismore, with major flooding possible from Monday night.

Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cooke said authorities were keeping a "very, very close eye" on Lismore and the wider region.

"We all know how much those communities have been through this year," she told ABC TV.

There are also concerns about Moree in the far north, where the town is experiencing its worst flooding in a decade.

Farmers in the agricultural hub were just weeks away from harvesting crops, which are now destroyed.

"It's heartbreaking. There's no doubt the damage and devastation through that region will be deep and widespread," Ms Cooke said.

The Mehi River at Moree peaked at 10.5 metres on Sunday and is expected to remain above the major flood level (8.8m) into Tuesday.

Mayor Mark Johnson said there was a sense of relief on Sunday night when the river started to recede but also apprehension about the clean-up.

Other towns at risk of flooding include Hay, Wentworth, Ballina, Yamba and Maclean.

Evacuation orders are in place for Moree, Terry Hie Hie, Gunnedah and Carroll in the state's north, the Riverina town of Narrandera and Mudgee in the central west.

Meanwhile, a second system is bringing more rain to already saturated parts of the state.

Residents have been ordered to higher ground at Cummeragunja and Mathoura East on the Murray River, where floodwaters are expected to peak on Monday.

Authorities are watching the southern border town of Moama, with major flooding expected on Monday when the Murray River peaks at 94.9m, which is higher than the 1993 flood.

Two hundred Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed across the state and natural disaster declarations have been made in more than 40 local government areas.

© AAP 2022