Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will fight to become Britain’s next prime minister when they won the final legislative vote, setting off the final stage of the competition to replace Boris Johnson.
Sunak has led all rounds of voting among Conservative MPs, but the truss seems to have so far gained among the governing party’s 200,000 members who will ultimately choose the winner.
The final leg of a week-long contest will pit Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs banker who has raised the tax burden to the highest level since the 1950s, against a truce that culminated in Brexit , who have pledged to cut taxes and regulation.
Whoever wins when the results are announced on 5 September will inherit some of the toughest conditions in Britain in decades.
Inflation is on course to reach 11 per cent a year, growth is stalling, industrial action is on the rise and the pound nears a historic low against the dollar.
Britain under Johnson, and aided by the truce, also took a tough stand against Brussels in its post-Brexit talks around Northern Ireland, seeking legal action from the European Union and threatening future trade relations.
Eleven candidates originally put their names forward, but in the fifth and final ballot for Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday, junior trade minister Penny Mordant was eliminated. Sunak got 137 votes, while Truss got 113 and Mordount got 105 votes.
Polls show Truss would defeat Sunak in a contest for party members, opening up the chance that conservatives elect a leader who was not the most popular choice for lawmakers.
Truss thanked some lawmakers outside parliament shortly after the votes were announced. “I’m in it, to win it,” she told reporters.
In a statement, she said: “As prime minister, I will take the field from day one, uniting the party and governing in line with conservative values.”
“Thankfully my colleagues have trusted me today. I will work day and night to spread my message across the nation,” Sunak said on Twitter.
Mordant, who was just eight votes behind a truce, called on the party to unite after an often ugly leadership contest.
“Politics is not easy. It can be a divisive and difficult place,” he said in a statement.
“We all must now work together to unite our party and focus on the work that needs to be done.”
Election
Both finalists will now begin several weeks of running up and down the country before party membership.
“This has been one of the most unexpected competitions to become the next Conservative leader in recent history,” said Chris Hopkins, director of political research at polling company Savanta Comres.
“It’s very different to recent competitions where you’ve run into a clear favorite with it.”
Controversy among the candidates also raised questions about how well any new leader would be able to govern, Johnson was still popular with many in the party and the country, and the party became increasingly divided between its various factions. Is.
Johnson was forced to step down after losing the support of his lawmakers after months of scandals that involved breaching lockdown rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sunak, who helped prop up the economy through the pandemic, may not find an unforgiving crowd among party members, with many blaming him for triggering Johnson’s downfall with his resignation earlier this month.
He has faced criticism over everything from his record in the government to his wife’s assets.
Truss may have to contend against the cynic, who is more relaxed in public appearances. On Sunday she admitted she may not be “the smartest presenter” but “when I say I’ll do something, I do”.
The race has so far focused on pledges, or non-pledges, to cut taxes, at a time when many parts of the state struggle to work with social issues such as defense spending, energy policy, Brexit and transgender rights. are doing.
They may also be limited in their ability to present themselves as a fresh start, with both candidates serving in senior positions in Johnson’s government.
Pollster Hopkins said a new party leader “usually gets a small bump in elections, but it will be an uphill battle to regain support because this government has been badly damaged”.