It was Home Secretary Suella Braveman’s resignation that finally nailed Liz Truss’s exit from her short, disastrous tenure as prime minister. Elections to the Conservative party will be held within a week and there is a talk that rules may be changed to ensure that no time is wasted as Britain needs a Prime Minister in place as soon as possible to clear up the mess left by Truss. Many in Britain believe it is time for general elections, instead of the musical chair that has been on since Boris Johnson was forced out of office.
The next few days will be crucial as candidates make a pitch for the top post. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be sounding out people as he assesses his chances of a comeback. However, considering his record and how he was forced out, his chances appear dim.
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Indian-origin former chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak may make another bid to become Prime Minister, as he clearly won the Parliamentary party votes last time. Liz Truss made the mark when general members of the party put their trust in her.
The Daily Telegraph has confirmed that Rishi Sunak is contesting. His image as the Chancellor during the pandemic was much appreciated by the general public. He had served under Boris Johnson. Ordinary people believe that Sunak has the brains to do the job.
Sunak however remains a divisive figure within the party with both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss loyalists unlikely to support him.
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Another India-origin member, Suella Braveman is also being speculated, however as of now she is unlikely to make the cut.
The Conservative party leadership would like to choose a consensus candidate, but with the Tories deeply divided into various factions, that could be a tall ask.
Speculation is that the party leadership will set the bar high, meaning candidates have to get the support of for example 100 party members before they can contest. This will help to whittle down the number of candidates so that time is not wasted in several rounds of voting to eliminate candidates who have a thin base within the party.
Jeremey Hunt, Liz Truss’s Chancellor of the Exchequer has already ruled himself out of the contest though he does have a good image.
Another name that is cropping up is that of Penny Mordaunt, who was number three in the race for leadership in September. Mordaunt, the MP from Portsmouth North since 2010, was a former defence secretary in Teresa May’s cabinet. She was not a member of the short-lived Liz Truss cabinet and is said to be much more right-wing than the former PM.
However, while hectic lobbying is continuing, Rishi Sunak appears to be the most likely candidate to take over from Truss.
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As the Conservative party bosses have already laid down that the next British Prime Minister will be chosen within a week, there are reports that the general rules governing the selection of the new leader of the party may be changed to keep out ordinary party members from voting. Within a space of seven days, it would finally be the Conservative MPs that will decide. However, the picture is not yet clear.
