The new leader of the Tory party will be chosen by voters from Tory. They have to choose between Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor and Liz Truss, Foreign Secretary.
Former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss have made it through to the final two in the race to take over the helm of the Conservative Party and assume the prime minister’s seat.
The fifth round of Tory MP voting on Wednesday saw Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt come in third.
Sunak was the top vote-getter, with support from 137 MPs. Truss got 113 votes, which is eight less than Mordaunt’s total of 123 in previous rounds.
However, grassroots members of the ruling party are said to be less loyal to Sunak, who is estimated to be worth over £200 million, has a heiress billionaire wife, and is known for his rather lavish lifestyle.
YouGov’s Tuesday poll found that Truss, ex-chancellor, would be defeated by Truss among conservative voters. The margin was 54%-35%.
Now, the former chancellor must win voters’ support over the remaining summer. This promises to be a busy schedule of campaign events. Sunak and Truss have already given a taste of what the campaign trail may look like: during the early stages of the contest for party leadership, the former colleagues in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government clashed on economic policy several times. Truss claims tax cuts worth tens to millions of dollars, but Sunak insists that it is necessary to close the post-Covid gap and bring inflation under control.
Both candidates will continue to support Ukraine’s current policies, Truss having a reputation for being tough on Russia. She also declared recently that she would like to raise the UK’s defense spending to 3% of GDP, far beyond the 2% demanded by NATO.
After a vote by postal ballot of around 150,000 Tory members, the winner will be announced September 5. Soon thereafter, the new leader of the party will be elected prime minister.
Johnson will still be the PM, even if the new head for the government has been installed. The leadership contest was announced following Johnson’s decision to step down after a series of scandals triggered a wave of resignations of senior cabinet members.
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