Sunak received 115 votes in the third Conservative MPs’ vote on Monday, ahead of former Defense Secretary Penny Mordant on 82 and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on 71. Since Johnson said he would step down earlier this month after his scandal-ridden government lost the support of many in his ruling Conservative Party, the race to replace him has taken an ugly turn with several contenders targeting front-runner Sunak. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register He has faced criticism over everything from his record in government to his wife’s wealth, from those calling for a run-off between the two finalists, with foreign secretary Truss and Mordaunt, currently junior trade secretary. opponents. Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat, a former soldier and Johnson critic who has never held a government role, was eliminated from the leadership race on Monday after securing the fewest votes with 31. Former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch came fourth in the voting with 58 votes. The ruling Conservative Party’s 358 MPs will whittle the field down to the final two this week, eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes each time. The results of the next vote are expected at 14:00 GMT on Tuesday. The new prime minister will then be announced on September 5, after the Conservative Party’s 200,000 members cast postal ballots over the summer.
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The race has focused on pledges or non-pledges to cut taxes at a time when Britain’s economy is battered by spiraling inflation, high debt and low growth that have left people with the most strain on their finances for decades. The Trust also came under fire for saying it would change the Bank of England’s mandate. read more In a televised debate on Sunday, the candidates attacked each other over their records, and Truss and Sunak pulled out of a planned third debate on Tuesday amid Conservative concerns about candidates attacking fellow party members. read more “The nature of the Conservative Party is to have intense debate and then merge once a new leader is chosen. I have no doubt that will happen here,” former Conservative minister David Jones told Reuters. Sunak extended his lead over Mordaunt, who lost support and scored one vote less than she had in the second round. Bookmaker Ladbrokes said on Monday Truss, who received seven more votes in the third round than he had in the second round, was now second favourite, ahead of Mordaud but behind Sunak. The Truss campaign sought to bolster their case for lower taxes by citing a report by The Center for Economic and Business Research, a private sector think tank, which showed there was more room for maneuver than higher tax revenues. But a top Bank of England official, Michael Saunders, rejected her suggestion that the government should set a “clear direction of travel” for monetary policy, saying the foundations of Britain’s framework were better left untouched. read more “The government is very clearly not setting the direction of travel for monetary policy,” Sanders, one of the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee to set interest rates, said at a Resolution Foundation event in London. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan, Alistair Smout, David Milliken and Andy Bruce Editing by Hugh Lawson, William James and Toby Chopra Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
