Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will go head to head in the race to be the next Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader after Penny Mordaunt was eliminated in the last leadership vote by Tory MPs.
Former chancellor Mr. Sunak led the vote after winning 19 supporters for 137 votes in total. Foreign Secretary Ms. Truss secured her spot after overturning Ms. Mordaunt’s narrow lead.
In the last 24 hours since the last round, Ms. Truss received 27 votes, while Ms. Mordaunt managed to get only 13. The two went to great lengths to secure the backing of MPs who first supported Kemi Badenoch, who was left out of the contest on Tuesday.
Ms. Mordaunt had been second in all previous voting rounds, but a surge in support for Ms. Truss eliminated her from the race. Speaking after the result, she said she would continue to work hard to thank those who supported her.
The trade minister also congratulated her opponents, saying she was “paying tribute” to anyone who steps forward for such a demanding role.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan, who has shown his support for Ms. Truss, said the Foreign Secretary’s campaign had “come with momentum at the end.” He argued that her stance on post-Brexit regulatory reforms and projects to help the low-income residents had helped her gain support from other colleagues.
Mr. Truss also spoke to reporters after the results, saying she would “hit the ground running from day one” if she was chosen as Tory leader.
“I want to deliver lower taxes, I want to help struggling families, I want to make sure that we unleash all the potential and talent across Britain,” she added. Previously, she promised to introduce £38bn in tax cuts if she came to power and eliminate the increase in national insurance in April.
Mr. Sunak, who resigned amid cabinet mutiny against former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, told reporters that he would face the country’s problems honestly and responsibly.
The former chancellor vowed to “support people… grow our economy and take advantage of the freedoms that Brexit gives us” and spoke about the upcoming elections.
“Crucially I am the person who is best placed to beat Keir Starmer in the next election and that’s the question Conservative members are going to have to consider,” he added.
The Conservative Party membership must now decide who will be its next leader after the summer election campaigns. The results could be announced as far as September 5.
