Watch out, Rishi Sunak: Rivals Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss closing gap in UK PM race
India Today
Rishi Sunak once again came out on top in the fourth round of voting in the UK PM race, albeit with a narrowed lead. As opponents Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss close the gap, here's why the Indian-origin MP should be worried.
The battle for 10 Downing Street heated up further on Tuesday, as former finance minister Rishi Sunak once again came out on top, albeit with a narrowed lead. The latest round of voting among Conservative Party members saw Sunak’s two remaining rivals -- Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss -- closing the gap.
Sunak received 118 votes in the fourth round of voting on Tuesday, just shy of the 120-mark or one-third of Conservative Party MPs needed to confirm his place as one of the final contenders in the race to replace outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The 42-year-old leader increased his tally from Monday’s 115.
While former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch was knocked out of the competition, junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss bettered their performance, spelling trouble for Sunak.
Mordaunt finished second with 92 votes, up from 82 votes in the third round of voting among party members. Truss, trailing behind Mordaunt, increased her vote share from 71 to 86 this time.
It is significant that between the third and fourth round of voting, Sunak’s vote share has risen by only three, whereas Truss and Mordaunt have seen a jump of 15 and 10 votes respectively.
As many as 358 Tory MPs will continue voting each day till only two candidates remain. Every time a candidate is eliminated, his supporters will be up for grabs. The Rishi Sunak camp is apparently trying to woo voters from Kemi Badenoch’s camp ahead of the fifth round of voting on Wednesday.
Since Boris Johnson said he would resign earlier this month after his scandal-ridden administration dramatically lost the support of many from his own Tory party, the contest to replace him has become increasingly ugly, with the contenders trading personal barbs and challenging records.
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