The Tories’ intensive search for a successor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson is entering its final phase. After a vote on Wednesday, there are only two candidates left – both were members of Johnson’s government.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s successor will be ex-Finance Secretary Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The two politicians received the most votes in the vote in the Conservative parliamentary group on Wednesday, the head of the committee responsible, Graham Brady, announced. Commerce Secretary Penny Mordaunt received the fewest votes, dropping out of the race by just eight votes less than Truss.
Now the members of the Tory party decide in a second round. On September 5, a decision will be made on who will succeed Johnson in Downing Street. The vote had become necessary because the incumbent Johnson had resigned as party leader two weeks ago under enormous pressure from a parliamentary faction.
Internal bickering over ex-Finance Minister
In all ballots in the group, the largest number of MPs voted for Sunak. However, the 42-year-old, who also appeals to the center of the party, is internally controversial. Above all, the right-wing conservative wing around Truss accuses Sunak of being responsible for the biggest tax hikes in recent decades.
Incumbent Prime Minister Johnson is also considered an adversary: his circle has accused the former Treasury Secretary of betraying the head of government by fueling Johnson’s downfall with his resignation. Sunak rejects this. The results of a poll by YouGov polling station among Tory party members on Tuesday also brought him bad news. Accordingly, he should lose in the second round.
Truss as the last representative of the right wing
Secretary of State Truss was considered one of the favorites from the start. However, she always finished third in the first round of elections, behind former Foreign and Defense Secretary Mordaunt, who has long been considered the darling of the party base. She had made a name for herself as a fervent champion of Brexit and received strong grassroots support.
Nevertheless, Mordaunt was a thorn in the side of the far-right Tories, who accused her of overly liberal views on gender issues and a lack of cabinet experience. As the only remaining representative of the right, the 46-year-old Truss was apparently able to convince many MPs who had previously voted for ex-Secretary of State Kemi Badenoch, who was also a right-wing conservative.
Big TV duel of the candidates
Now the party members have the floor. It is not clear how many there are at the moment. In the previous party leadership election in 2019, when Boris Johnson was victorious, there were about 160,000 members. Early next week, the BBC plans to broadcast a TV game between the last two candidates, which the candidates have already agreed to.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
