Britain’s Conservative Party on Wednesday chose former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss – a fiscal moderate and low-tax crusader – as the two finalists in a party election to replace outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The result came as the divisive, unrepentant Johnson, who has plunged his party into turmoil, ended his final appearance in Parliament as prime minister with the words “Hasta la vista, baby”. Sunak and Truss came first and second respectively in a secret ballot by conservative lawmakers. Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt came third and was disqualified. The race, which has already sparked intense Tory infighting, pits Sunak, who steered Britain’s economy through the pandemic before resigning from the Johnson government this month, against Truss, who has led his response of the United Kingdom in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The two candidates will spend the next few weeks campaigning for the votes of around 180,000 Conservative Party members across the country, who will be voting by post or online. The winner of the party’s leadership vote will be announced on September 5 and will automatically become Britain’s next prime minister. Sunak won all four rounds of expulsion votes from lawmakers but is less popular among the party’s base, partly because of his previous job as Britain’s chief tax officer. Truss, who has taken a hard line against Russian President Vladimir Putin – and the European Union – is a favorite of the Conservative right wing. Truss said if she became prime minister “I would hit the ground running from day one, unite the party and govern according to Conservative values”. Sunak’s campaign said “the choice for members is very simple: who is the best person to beat Labor at the next election? The evidence points to this being Rishi.’ The winner of the Tory contest will not have to face British voters until 2024, unless they choose to call an early general election. The campaign has already exposed deep divisions within the Conservative Party at the end of Johnson’s scandal-marred three-year reign. Truss called Sunak a “socialist” for raising taxes in response to the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Sunak hit back, saying opponents, including Truss, were selling economic “fairytales” to British voters as the country faces runaway inflation and economic turmoil. Johnson’s allies have been accused of lobbying against Mr Sunak, whose resignation helped bring down the prime minister, and Mr Truss, who has remained loyal. That impression was cemented Wednesday when Johnson said his advice to his successor would not always be to listen to the Treasury Department. All the candidates – there were 11 to begin with – sought to distance themselves from Johnson, whose term began boldly in 2019 with a vow to “get Brexit done” and a resounding election victory, but is now ending in disgrace. Johnson resigned on July 7 but remains interim leader until the party elects his successor. On Wednesday, he faced jeers from opposition politicians and weary Conservatives at his final Prime Minister’s Questions sitting in the House of Commons, which adjourns for the summer on Thursday. It was a disappointing departure, with supportive Conservative lawmakers praising and opposition politicians offering variations on the “good riddance”. Johnson praised his achievements – leading Britain out of the EU and through COVID-19, and supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion – and said: “Mission is largely accomplished, for now,” before departing with the phrase “hasta la vista” by Arnold Schwarzenegger. from “Terminator 2.” Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer said: “I will miss the delusion.” Johnson has clung to office through months of scandals over his finances and judgment, refusing to step down when he was fined by police for ruling parties that broke COVID-19 quarantine rules. He eventually resigned after one too many scandals – the appointment of a politician accused of sexual harassment – led to his ministers resigning en masse. Despite remaining prime minister, he has largely disappeared from the limelight, even as Britain faces a summer cost-of-living crisis and job dissatisfaction as inflation hits 9.4%. Johnson did not attend any emergency cabinet meetings regarding the heat wave that brought record temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) to Britain this week. Last week he took a ride in a Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jet, with “Top Gun”-style footage released from his office, then threw a weekend party at Cheques, the prime minister’s holiday home. London Mayor Sadiq Khan accused Johnson of wanting to “be Tom Cruise” and urged him to resign immediately. “We need a full-time prime minister who will take care of our country instead of someone who is controlled,” Khan said.
