2 yıl önce

Sunak tops UK Conservative leadership race as two candidates knocked out

Rishi Sunak, who quit as British finance minister last week, leads the pack with the support of 88 Tory MPs, followed by Penny Mordaunt, with 67 votes after the first round of voting.

AFP

Former Treasury chief Sunak is the bookies' favourite and received the largest number of votes, 88.

Two candidates have been knocked out of the race to replace UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, leaving six lawmakers battling to lead the Conservative Party and the country.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Treasury chief Nadhim Zahawi on Wednesday failed to reach the threshold of 30 votes by Conservative lawmakers needed to stay in the contest.

Rishi Sunak scored 88 votes, ahead of junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt on 67 and foreign Secretary Liz Truss on 50. Lawmaker Kemi Badenoch received 40 votes, Tom Tugendhat received 37 and Suella Braverman received 32.

The 358 Tory lawmakers had crammed into a humid corridor at Parliament to line up and cast their ballots in a grand room hung with oil paintings. Security staff made them hand over their phones to ensure secrecy.

Eight candidates had secured the required backing of 20 of their colleagues to make the first ballot.

Further rounds of voting will take place Thursday and, if needed, next week, until just two candidates remain.

The final two contenders will face a runoff vote by about 180,000 Conservative Party members across the country. The winner is scheduled to be announced Sept. 5 and will automatically become prime minister, without the need for a national election.

Johnson stays neutral

The candidates are jostling to replace Johnson, who quit as Conservative leader last week amid a party revolt triggered by months of ethics scandals.

He will remain in office as a caretaker prime minister until his replacement as party chief is chosen.

A spokesperson insisted Johnson was remaining neutral in the campaign to choose his replacement.

Johnson struck a valedictory note at his weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. He hinted it could be his last appearance there, though he is scheduled take questions again next week, before Parliament's summer break, and to leave office on September 6.

"The next leader of my party may be elected by acclamation,” he told Labour leader Keir Starmer – though that would only happen if one of the final two candidates dropped out. “So it’s possible this will be our last confrontation.”

Johnson said it was "true that I leave not at a time of my choosing," but insisted: "I will be leaving soon with my head held high."

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies