Liz Truss takes on Rishi Sunak in the race to become the UK’s next Prime Minister

London – Liz Truss will face Rishi Sunak in the final round of the tight race to succeed Boris Johnson as UK Prime Minister.

Penny Mordaunt crashed out of the race on Wednesday after receiving minimal support in a fifth round of voting among Conservative MPs.

Ex-Finance Minister Sunak maintained his lead, with 137 votes, while Foreign Minister Truss came in second with 113 votes. International Trade Secretary Mordaunt slipped to the bottom of the run-off with 105 votes. There were two spoiled ballot papers.

Truss and Snack will now compete head-to-head to be appointed leader of the UK’s Conservative Party and thus Prime Minister.

The results of the final vote, which goes back to members of the Conservative Party, are due to be announced by September 5 at the latest, and Johnson is expected to remain in office as caretaker prime minister until then.

Wednesday is the latest vote in a tight competition to succeed Johnson, who To step down as Conservative Party leader July 7 after a series of scandals and mass resignations from within his government.

Eight candidates reached the first round of voting on July 12, with the number gradually reduced by conservative lawmakers in five stages.

in Pre-voting Tuesday – 4th in the contest – Kimi Badenouch, former Minister of Local Government and then Minister for Women’s Affairs and Equality, was removed after receiving 59 votes. Sunak received 118 votes, followed by Mordaunt with 92 votes, and Truss with 86 votes.

The last word will now be for the Conservative Party members – estimated at 200,000, or 0.3% of the British population – who will vote for their preferred candidate.

Over the coming weeks, the two contenders will embark on a series of electoral events across the country, where they will be questioned by voters about their policies.

Then, Conservative Party members choose the winner in a mail vote, and the successful candidate automatically becomes prime minister.

On Tuesday YouGov poll of Conservative Party members, Sunak was seen losing to both Mordaunt and Truss in the final round of votes. At that point, Truss looked ready to beat Sunak by 54 to 35 while Mordaunt was on course to beat him 51 to 37.

Sunak has been steadfast in his opposition to tax cuts, arguing instead for the downfall soaring inflation It is Britain’s top priority. However, he has faced criticism for a number of failures under Johnson’s leadership, including breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules.

However, Truss has not been without its share of backsliding, including proposals to change the Bank of England’s mandate and introduce a series of tax cuts.

Separate YouGov Poll Wednesday It showed that more than half (52%) of Conservative Party members consider personality as the most important trait they consider when electing a new leader. Just under a third (32%) cite traditional conservative policies, while less than one in five (19%) cite Brexit.

It comes as Britain’s Labor Party is seen defeating the Conservative Party in a general election, according to a report. A recent study.

Britain is due to hold its next general election by January 2025 at the latest, but the next prime minister may choose to call an election before then.