As of: 07/20/2022 5:49 p.m
British Foreign Secretary Truss and ex-Treasury Secretary Sunak are going into the runoff election to succeed outgoing British Prime Minister Johnson. Tory party members have until September 5 to vote.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s successor will be ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The two politicians received the most votes in the conservative parliamentary group. Secretary of Commerce Penny Mordaunt received the fewest votes, dropping out by just eight votes less than Truss.
How far to the right are the Tories?
Sunak received 137 votes and is considered a favorite by many observers. However, the 42-year-old, who also appeals to the center of the party, is controversial internally. Above all, the right-wing conservative wing around Truss accuses Sunak of being responsible for the largest tax increases in recent decades.
Secretary of State Truss had 113 votes, but in previous rounds of voting she had always finished third behind former Development and Defense Minister Mordaunt, who had long been considered the darling of the party base. She had made a name for herself as a vehement advocate of Brexit and received a lot of support from the party base. As the only remaining representative of the very right wing, the 46-year-old Truss could now have good cards.
“Election campaign over the summer”, Annette Dittert, ARD London, on Johnson’s successor
Tagesschau 5:00 p.m., 20.7.2022
Party base votes
The choice of Johnson’s successor is now up to the approximately 200,000 party members. They should decide by postal vote so that the new party leader can be named on September 5th. The role then also includes the office of head of government. On July 25, Sunak and Truss meet in a televised duel broadcast by the BBC.
The vote had become necessary because incumbent Johnson had resigned as party leader two weeks ago after countless scandals under massive pressure from his own government and parliamentary group.
Big Challenges
The challenges that await the successor are enormous: Above all, the pressure from exploding inflation is immense. At 9.4 percent, the rate of inflation is at its highest level in 40 years, and another significant increase in heating costs is expected for the autumn.
There is also internal dispute. Many party members accuse Prime Minister Johnson of undermining trust in the Tories with his constant lies and false promises. In polls, the largest opposition party, Labor, is in the lead, and even in their strongholds, the Conservatives have recently suffered serious bankruptcies.