Rishi Sunak races ahead in contest for British PM post, but...

In the just-concluded fifth and final leg of the voting, Indian-origin Sunak secured 137 votes while Truss got the support of 113 MPs. British Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated from the contest after he came third with 105 votes.

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London, First Published Jul 20, 2022, 10:50 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 20, 2022, 10:50 PM IST

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss have emerged as the top two contenders in the race to become the Conservative Party leader and British Prime Minister replacing Boris Johnson.

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An MP has to cross the 120 MPs mark to be in the final showdown, which the 42-year-old British Indian has easily crossed. On Monday, the two leaders will participate in a live televised debate for the first time.

Wednesday's ballot brings the curtains down on an intense two weeks of voting rounds. The voting rounds included a shortlist of eight candidates, including Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, former Cabinet ministers Kemi Badenoch and Jeremy Hunt, Indian-origin Attorney General Suella Braverman and Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat.

In his last Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, Johnson gave advice to his successor: "I want to use the last few seconds, Mr Speaker, to give some words of advice to my successor, whoever he or she may be. Number one, stay close to the Americans, stick up for the Ukrainians, and stick up for freedom and democracy everywhere. Cut taxes and deregulate wherever you can to make this the greatest place to live and invest, which it is."

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"I love the Treasury, but remember that if we had always listened to the Treasury, we would not have built the M25 or the Channel Tunnel. Focus on the road ahead, but always check the rear-view mirror. And remember -- a bubble. It's not Twitter that counts; it's the people that sent us here."

Even though Sunak is popular within the Conservative parliamentary party, the party's wider membership base is more inclined towards his rivals. The latest YouGov survey of 725 Conservative Party members earlier this week showed that Sunak would be trounced by Truss, 35 per cent to 54 per cent.

The focus now shifts towards the hustings as both candidates try to woo the Tory voters to vote in their favour.

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