Former finance minister Rishi Sunak has emerged as the frontrunner in a second round of voting to determine Britain’s next prime minister. This is after he was eliminated in the first round of voting.
Some people blame Sunak for Johnson’s downfall. They believe that he was the one responsible for Johnson’s resignation, and so far he’s been the frontrunner among Conservative legislators.
He faces potential competition from Penny Mordaunt, a foreign minister in the United Kingdom who has launched her formal campaign. She argues she is the only contender with the experience to take tough decisions needed by her country.
The candidate for Attorney General after brexit, Suella Braverman has now been taken out of the race. Currently there are five hopefuls left.
Whoever becomes Prime Minister will have to combat high inflation, low economic growth and public distrust in politicians following Johnson’s scandal filled time in power.
Sunak thanked his supporters after maintaining his lead and said on twitter, “I am prepared to give everything I have in service of our nation. Together we can restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite the country.”
This leader is going to make sure that his/her first economic priority will be holding down inflation, rather than offering tax cuts for the people.
Many politicians are trying to restore trust, but Truss is the latest one to campaign on making politics more personal.
Truss pledged to campaign as a Conservative and govern as a Conservative. He was confident that he could lead, and had made tough decisions in the past.
Asked why she didn’t quit while support was dwindling, she said she was loyal to Boris Johnson. She is a loyal person and was benefitting from the success of his government.
The remaining candidates, who also include former Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, will face the third round of voting by Conservative MPs on Monday
If a candidate exceeds the rating of at least 30, they will be selected as the winner. If multiple candidates surpass this threshold, then the one with the fewest votes will be eliminated. This will continue until there are 2 remaining candidates by July 21.
The new Prime Minister of Great Britain will then be chosen from two frontrunners, who are currently unknown. The new leader will be elected by the Conservative Party members.
Sunak is popular among his colleagues, but with a YouGov poll of party members found Mordaunt as the favorite. Mordaunt leads Sunak and has strong odds in the polls.
In Britain, spiraling inflation, high debt, and low growth have left people scrambling to make ends meet. People are grappling with the tightest squeeze on their finances in decades due to high fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine.
The campaign is offering a preview of the challenges that this new prime minister will be faced with. He fended-off criticism from former Brexit negotiator David Frost when he said her approach was too soft.
Tugendhat, who ranked fifth in the second round of voting, said, “It is fair that we (candidates) receive criticism … I am asking for the trust of the British people for the highest job in the country,” he told reporters.
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