UK PM Election: Liz Truss set to become Britain’s next PM, gets overwhelming support over Rishi Sunak

UK Prime Minister election has entered the final countdown stage as the voting to choose between former chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has been closed officially for Tory members on Friday. The result of Britain’s new PM will be announced on September 25, 2022.

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.

While the British Indian former minister has pegged his campaign on getting a grip on soaring inflation as an immediate priority, the foreign minister has pledged tax cuts from day one in office. Overall, it is how they plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis faced by the British public that has dominated the debates even as the duo addressed their final hustings in London on Wednesday night, where they reiterated many of their pledges.

However, Sunak’s supporters will be hoping for a repeat of the Brexit referendum result from June 2016 when Britain voted in favour of leaving the European Union (EU) and confounded most forecasts by pre-referendum surveys.

The 2019 general election, which brought Johnson to power with a thumping majority, was also against the forecasts of many exit polls and the result surprised all supporters.

Either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will be delivering the speech & their first prime minister’s questionnaire in the House of Commons on Wednesday. So, the fingers are crossed till Monday.