Liz Truss enjoys overwhelming support over Rishi Sunak, set to become UK PM

By Team Newsable | First Published Sep 2, 2022, 1:32 PM IST

The result of the summer-long campaign pitting the foreign secretary against former chancellor Rishi Sunak will be announced on Monday. Postal and online voting by the estimated 200,000 Tory members began in early August, a month after Johnson announced his resignation, and concludes at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT).

Liz Truss appears poised to take over as the UK's next prime minister after a gruelling nationwide tour, a dozen hustings and three televised debates. Before Prime Minister Boris Johnson formally presents his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II the next day, the result of the summer-long campaign pitting the foreign secretary against former chancellor Rishi Sunak will be made public on Monday.

Early in August, a month after Johnson announced his departure, the estimated 200,000 Tory members began voting through mail and online. The voting ends at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT). Truss enjoys overwhelming support over Sunak in polling of the members.

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With inflation surging by double digits and energy costs skyrocketing as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine, the UK is experiencing its greatest cost of living crisis in centuries. According to surveys, millions of people think they will have to choose between paying for food and heating this winter since their expenses are expected to increase by 80% starting in October and further in January.

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Truss has vowed tax cuts but those would do nothing to benefit the poorest. She vowed to "deliver immediate support to ensure people are not facing unaffordable fuel bills" this winter. In order to preserve Johnson's Brexit legacy, she continued, "I truly believe that in these trying times, we need to be radical."

After months of scandal, Tory MPs turned against Johnson, their Brexit hero, and chose Sunak over Truss as their preferred candidate to lead them until the next general election, which is scheduled for January 2025. The Conservatives have taken their time choosing a new leader, plagued by infighting despite the larger crises, and the Labour party has benefited by criticising Johnson's "zombie administration."

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