The list of candidates for the ‘best job in the world’ to succeed Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister is narrowing down to five names, led by former British finance minister Rishi Sunak and former defense minister Benny Mordant.
After this new vote, Sunak (101 votes), Mordant (83), Foreign Minister Liz Truss (64), Secretary of State for Equality Kemi Patenok (49) and Deputy Tom Tugenthat (32) passed to the second round. The British government’s current attorney general, Suella Braverman, 42, was eventually dropped from the race.
The former finance minister is considered the favorite to succeed Johnson, who resigned as Conservative leader last week. He will hold office until his replacement is elected.
Sunak, considered a rising star in government and the party, was one of the first ministers to resign, a decision condemned by Johnson’s allies, who accused the former finance minister of orchestrating the prime minister’s downfall.
What’s more, Sunak, the only British politician to make the Sunday Times list of richest families, has been heavily criticized for his proposed tax hikes as chancellor. Despite the critics, a spokesman for the former finance minister expressed his desire to “continue with concrete messages on the economic agenda”, citing the BBC as saying that other candidates have shied away from their promises.
But Sunak’s victory was not certain, quite the contrary. Candidate Benny Mordant stands out in the race thanks to a series of strong endorsements, leading to odds at bookmaker Ladbrokes.
The Guardian says the former defense minister has a big advantage over candidates like Liz Truss or Sunak. He was not among Johnson’s inner circle, who fired him after backing Jeremy Hunt (who backs Chung as prime minister’s successor) to lead the Conservative Party in 2019. Johnson’s departure would be decisive in his victory.
Mordant’s rise in the polls was hardly unexpected as Truss, once considered the favorite after Johnson, continued to trail the former defense minister.
As the Tories continue to scramble to choose their next leader, polls reveal they could face an ideological shift in the UK, with Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer ahead of any potential successor to Johnson, which saw a censure drive this week. As opposed to rejected by Govt.
Labor announced on Wednesday it would table a motion of censure in what it described as a “last chance” to remove Boris Johnson as prime minister. The main opposition wants to block Johnson from continuing in office until September, when a new party leader chosen exclusively by congressmen and conservative activists is announced.
“He can’t be hanged for weeks and weeks and weeks until September 5th. This will be intolerable for the country”, argued the Labor leader. According to Reuters, the next UK Prime Minister will be announced on September 5. At the moment, Boris Johnson has not announced his support for any of the candidates in the race to succeed him.
