Former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss were the last two candidates left to replace Johnson from an initial field of eight, it was revealed on Wednesday. Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt was ruled out of the fray, finishing with 105 votes from MPs. Sunak received 137 votes, while Truss collected 113 votes. 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 leadership vote will be announced on September 5 and will automatically become prime minister. The bitter campaign has exposed deep divisions in the Conservative Party at the end of Johnson’s three-year reign marred by scandals. Opponents have branded Sunak a “socialist” for raising taxes in response to the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Sunak countered that his opponents are peddling financial “fairy tales”. All the candidates are trying 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.
Loyalist Johnson vs. Resigned Cabinet Member
Sunak resigned from his Treasury post earlier this month after questioning Johnson’s competence and ethics. At 42, Sunak would be the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years and the country’s first leader in South Asia. Sunak was born in Southampton, on the south coast of England, in 1980 to Indian parents who were both born in East Africa. An instinctive low-tax politician, he nevertheless poured billions in government money to keep people and businesses afloat during the pandemic. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak meets Conservative Party members and campaigners at Teesport, Redcar on July 16. If he wins the party’s vote, Sunak would become Britain’s youngest prime minister and the first of South Asian descent. (Lee Smith/Reuters) His furlough program, which paid the wages of millions of workers when they were laid off, made him the most popular member of the government. But critics said his campaign to get people to eat in restaurants after lockdown restrictions were eased in the summer of 2020 contributed to another wave of COVID-19. He has also faced questions about his property and finances. His wife, Akshata Murty, is the daughter of the billionaire founder of Indian tech giant Infosys, and the couple are worth £730 million (Cdn$1.13 billion), according to the Sunday Times Rich List. In April it was revealed that Murty paid no UK tax on her overseas income. If Truss wins, she would become Britain’s third female prime minister. She has forged her image as a tribute to the first, Margaret Thatcher. As foreign secretary, Truss was at the center of Britain’s support for Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of the neighboring country. Two British nationals imprisoned in Iran also returned home during her tenure. Liz Truss, second from right, is applauded by her team outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday. Truss will be the third female prime minister if elected by a majority of Conservatives voting by a September 2 deadline. (Frank Augstein/The Associated Press) Truss, 46, has also played a leading role in the UK’s dispute with the European Union over post-Brexit trade arrangements. Her aggressive approach – along with promises to cut taxes and boost defense spending – have made her a favorite of the party’s fiercely Eurosceptic right wing. Opponents criticize her as a dogmatic and wooden public speaker. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament twice before being elected to represent the East of England seat of South West Norfolk in 2010. In Britain’s 2016 referendum on whether to leave the European Union, Truss supported the losing side of Remain, unlike Sunak. But he has served in Johnson’s staunchly pro-Brexit government as trade secretary and then foreign secretary, and has won the support of the Conservative Party’s staunchest Brexiteers.
Labor is making the final inquiry into Johnson
Parliament adjourns for the summer on Thursday. Johnson, who resigned on July 7 after months of ethics scandals but remains caretaker leader, faced jeers from opposition politicians and weary Conservatives at his final prime minister’s questions session in the House of Commons. WATCH l ‘Greatest privilege of my life’: Johnson defends record once again:
Boris Johnson addresses Parliament as Prime Minister for the last time
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses Parliament during his final appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions after being forced to resign amid controversy over the COVID-19 protocol. Conservative backbenchers have praised and opposition politicians offer variations on the “good riddance”. Johnson praised what he called his achievements – leading Britain out of the European Union and through COVID-19, and supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion – and said: “Mission largely accomplished, for now ‘, before leaving with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘hasta la vista’ ‘Insanity from Terminator 2. Labor leader Keir Starmer said: “I will miss the delusion.”
Johnson urged that he resign immediately
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 political accused of sexual harassment – led to his ministers resigning en masse. WATCH l A look at Boris Johnson’s legacy:
Boris Johnson resigns as Prime Minister after years of scandal
In front of a jeering crowd, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck a defiant tone by announcing his resignation after a series of scandals throughout his tenure. 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 hit 9.4%, according to the latest economists’ report. Johnson did not attend any emergency cabinet meetings regarding the heatwave that has brought temperatures of 40C 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, and then threw a weekend party at Cheques, the prime minister’s holiday home. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who represents the opposition Labor Party, accused Johnson of wanting to “become Tom Cruise” and urged him to resign immediately. “We need a full-time prime minister who will take care of our country, not someone who is an examinee,” Khan said.
