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Two of the eight candidates proposed by Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party will be elected in the House of Commons during these voting days. And of the two that remain, one will be the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the ‘Tories’. The premier election process is expected to end on September 5.
The race to replace Boris Johnson continues. Among the bouquet of the ‘tories’, as members of the Conservative Party are usually called, there was a new loss: the lawyer and former attorney general, Suella Braverman, who obtained only 29 votes, below the cut established by the norms . Braverman, 42, was one of the candidates for premiere which represented ethnic diversity by having Indian origins. Before the voting round in the House of Commons she claimed that she was the true representative of Brexit.
Now, without Braverman in the competition, five candidates remain from the initial eight. The one who follows in the lead, with 101 votes, is the former Minister of Economy, Rishi Sunak, key in Johnson’s resignation as he was one of the most important members of the Cabinet to resign. Sunak is closely followed by former defense minister Penny Mordaunt with 83 nominations.
The distance between both consolidated leaders narrows. On Wednesday, the deputies who supported Sunak were 88 against 67 for Mordaunt; that is, the difference was 21 votes. Today, they are separated by 18.
The other three candidates, clearly at a disadvantage in votes, are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Liz Truss, (64); the former Secretary of State for Equality, Kemi Badenoch (49); and the deputy, Tom Tugendhat (32).
Moves in political chess
Sunak, a former Treasury chief, is currently the best positioned candidate to become prime minister. He was triumphant on social networks.
“Thank you for your continued support. I am willing to give everything I have in the service of our nation. Together we can restore trust, rebuild our economy, and reunify the country,” Sunak said on his Twitter account.
However, the country’s financial management that he proposes to overcome the inflationary crisis that the Bank of England is already announcing makes him an easy target for criticism.
Even more so, having managed the finances in the government of an unpopular Boris Johnson, who not only left the United Kingdom plunged into a political crisis after the ‘Partygate’ scandals; also, in an economic disaster reflected in unprecedented inflation for 40 years: 9.1%. A percentage that can grow in October, when the regulated energy rates for homes are increased.
Sunak, despite this, stated in an interview with the British network BBC that “the number one economic priority is to tackle inflation and not make it worse”. Therefore, in an eventual interim legislature, until the general elections are held, His focus on economic matters will not be the tax cut as promised by Liz Truss, third in the race.
For his part, Truss also threw a taunt at him: “Now is the time to be bold and not continue with the usual economic management.” And he took the opportunity to promise tax cuts with the goal of promoting economic growth that would be reflected in 2024.
Rishi Sunak has tried to distance himself from the role of “continuist” for having been the Minister of Economy of the Johnson Government and seeks to be understanding with the pocket of British citizens: “When the pandemic arrived, I fully understood the impact it could have on millions of people across the country,” he said.
Penny Mordaunt was also the target of attacks this Thursday. The accusations came from several flanks: one of them, from the former boss and former British negotiator for Brexit, David Frost.
“I’m quite surprised that he’s where he is in this race for leadership. It was my ‘second’ in the Brexit negotiations last year and I felt he didn’t measure up,” Frost said of Mordaunt.
This criticism is a strong blow for any ‘tory’, as the Conservative Party has been the main defender of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
Along the same lines, Truss again went on the attack but this time against Mordaunt, calling David Frost’s pronouncement “a very dire warning.”
Liz Truss’s main objective to beat is precisely Penny Mordaunt, because she needs to close the distance to be in second position. Truss is confident and hinted that she will receive the support of some of the candidates who have been eliminated from the competition these two days.
The future of the election
The next vote in Parliament will be on Monday, July 18. At the end of all the votes scheduled for the next few days, there will be only two candidates left, who will campaign throughout the national territory to continue gaining support.
It is estimated that on September 5 the new interim prime minister and leader of the Conservatives will be known after the approval of nearly 160,000 party members in the United Kingdom. The name of the winner will be delivered by the Conservative Private Members Committee.
The British will be able to see the candidates in three debates televised by different networks. The first will be on Friday and the other two will be on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
