Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Minister Liz Truss are the two finalists to succeed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party parliamentary group decided today.
Of an initial batch of eight candidates, these two were the ones that received the most votes today, leaving behind the Secretary of State for Commerce, Penny Mordaunt, who at one point was considered the favorite, but whose personality raised reservations among her colleagues.
In the fifth round of voting held today, Rishi Sunak got 137 votes, Liz Truss got 113 and Penny Mordaunt got 105.
The initial phase of the process to reduce the number of candidates was reserved for the 358 deputies of the Conservative Party, but now the election of the winner will correspond to the approximately 200,000 members of the party, who will vote by mail.
The final result will be announced on September 5 and the British government could be led by a non-white man for the first time in history, or by a woman for the third time.
Rishi Sunak, 42, whose departure from government in early July helped precipitate Boris Johnson’s downfall, led from the first vote despite being unpopular with the party’s rank and file.
According to a YouGov poll published on Tuesday, the former finance minister, criticized for resisting tax cuts, would be soundly beaten in the final no matter who he faced.
By contrast, Liz Truss, 46, who was deemed unconvincing last week, has recovered and is in the best position to benefit from the votes of eliminated candidate Kemi Badenoch, who, like her, represents the right wing of the Conservatives.
Behind-the-scenes maneuvering has highlighted fractures within the party, with several attacks in the press directed at Penny Mordaunt, who has surprised by running second in the polls so far.
Representative David Davis accused the Sunak camp of trying to “redistribute” some of the votes to Liz Truss in order to eliminate Mordaunt, who is seen as more difficult to win.
“This is the dirtiest campaign I’ve ever seen,” Davis said on LBC radio.
Mordaunt, 49, and virtually unknown to the British public until 10 days ago, was named favorite in a YouGov poll last week but was described as unfocused and unconvincing in two televised debates.
The former defense minister’s campaign claims to represent “change,” while Johnson’s two heavyweight rivals are the “continuity” candidates.
Crises of confidence and questions of integrity have marked the campaign, with candidates telling everyone they want to turn the page on the Johnson era marred by a series of scandals.
The revelation that Johnson knew of previous allegations against Chris Pincher, a Conservative MP who resigned as deputy party boss after allegedly groping two men at a private club, exhausted patience and prompted more than 50 government officials to fire him if he protested. .
The candidates also widely debated how they would tackle the growing cost of living crisis that is strangling British families as inflation accelerated further in June to 9.4 percent.
A debate between the two finalists will take place on Monday on the BBC, live and in front of an audience of 80 to 100 people from Stoke-on-Trent, a city in central England that voted more than 69% in favour. . 2016 referendum.
A series of rallies and debates between the candidates and party members throughout the country are also expected in the coming weeks.
Boris Johnson has resigned as Conservative leader, but will remain as prime minister until a successor is chosen, who, as head of the party with the parliamentary majority, will be invited to form a government without the need for legislative elections.
Source: TSF
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
