Former Treasury Secretary begins the process of electing the head of government and Tory leader with an advantage over Mordant and Truss
The first vote to elect Britain’s next prime minister has confirmed that former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (88 votes) is the most popular candidate among Conservative MPs, followed by former Defense Secretary Penny Mordant (67) and who is now Foreign Secretary. Business Holds, Liz Truss (50). The purpose of this election procedure was to eliminate those who did not receive at least thirty support.
The discarded were Jeremy Hunt (18) and Nadhim Zahawi (25). The first faced Boris Johnson in 2019 in the race to replace Theresa May, in whose cabinet he was the longest-serving health minister in the history of British governments. He was the candidate most identified with the Conservatives’ ‘One Nation’ tendency and supported staying in the European Union.
Zahawi has had a few nice days. After Rishi Sunak announced his resignation to continue as a member of Johnson’s cabinet, he accepted the appointment as his replacement, but the next day, when the tide of rebellion against the leader was unstoppable, he called for the resignation from Johnson. He now remains acting head of the UK economy.
Both Sunak and Zahawi, both billionaires, were accused by Labor opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer of managing some of their finances in tax havens during his latest confrontation with Boris Johnson in the House of Commons. The coming weeks will show whether that condemnation is felt by members of the party. And, in the longer term, if it is an obstacle to being head of government.
The results present a dilemma to the right of the faction. Both Mordant and Truss have promised tax cuts. They are popular with conservative members, recent polls show. Hunt voters will not be inclined to support them. And the risk is that by splitting their votes, other candidates will emerge as favourites.
The campaign has catapulted Penny Mordant, with three months of cabinet experience, as defense secretary in the final weeks of Theresa May’s tenure in 2019. She is highly regarded by party members. Kemi Badenoch, with no experience in government, has gained popularity through frank criticism of the opportunism of other candidates. Badenoch (40 votes) could benefit from transfers. The other two hopeful candidates, Tom Tugendhat (37) and Suella Braverman (32), will battle to stay in the race.
Conservative MPs will vote for the second time this Friday. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The election process will resume on Monday, with daily voting until two candidates remain. Parliament will close on the 21st and the two chosen ones will campaign to convince the members of the formation that they will be their best leader.
The ‘tories’ do not publish the number of their affiliates, which are estimated to be around 100,000. Opinion polls in recent days show that most are not in favor of tax cuts in the current economic conditions, although some candidates have called for drastic cuts to present themselves as an alternative to Rishi Sunak. The former minister increased the fiscal pressure to the level of the 1940s.
On September 5, the name of the person chosen to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader and Prime Minister will be announced. The interim head of government confirmed to the prime minister in his latest parliamentary question session that he will leave “with his head held high” for what he has achieved in his mandate. Among the achievements, he pointed to the low unemployment rate, below 4%.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
