Tag: Liz Truss

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Truss urges govt to get tough with China on Taiwan

Truss called on Sunak to make good on his pledge during the Conservative leadership campaign last year to designate China a strategic “threat”…reports Asian Lite News

Former prime minister Liz Truss on Wednesday urged her successor Rishi Sunak to get tough with China on issues such as Taiwan, describing the democratic island as “an enduring rebuke to totalitarianism”.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be its territory, to be taken one day by force if necessary and strongly opposes any formal engagement with the island, including by high-profile foreign political figures.

Truss, who is on a five-day visit to Taiwan, accused Sunak and other Western governments of “trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change, as if there is nothing wrong”.

“But without freedom and democracy, there is nothing else. We know what happens to the environment or world health under totalitarian regimes that don’t tell the truth,” she said.

“You can’t believe a word they (China) say.”

Rishi Sunak

Truss also called on Sunak to make good on his pledge during the Conservative leadership campaign last year to designate China a strategic “threat”, and went on to say the West could not avoid another “Cold War” with Beijing.

It is “absolutely clear” that Chinese President Xi Jinping “has ambitions to take Taiwan”, she added at a press conference later.

“We don’t know exactly when that could take place and we don’t know how… All we can do is make sure Taiwan is as protected as possible.”

Sunak has pushed back on the tough rhetoric against China that Truss deployed before and during her 49-day tenure at 10 Downing Street last year.

She was ousted after her radical economic policies crashed financial markets.

Since then, Truss — who is still a sitting MP — has been trying to rebuild her profile with a series of speeches overseas, including in Tokyo, Washington and Copenhagen.

The Chinese government has slammed Truss’s Taiwan visit as a “dangerous political show which will do nothing but harm to the UK”.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London accused her of “colluding with ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces to provoke confrontation”, in a statement issued before her speech in Taipei.

It added that Truss’s visit would “further expose herself as a failed politician”.

The former leader has also faced accusations back home that she is indulging in irresponsible sabre-rattling in a bid to maintain her political relevance.

“The (Taiwan) trip is performative, not substantive,” House of Commons foreign relations committee chair Alicia Kearns told The Guardian newspaper last week.

“It is the worst kind of example of Instagram diplomacy,” the Conservative said, recalling previous criticism of Truss’s tireless self-promotion on social media.

Pic credits @CGMeifangZhang

Kearns added the trip was likely to deepen problems for Taiwan.

Truss defended herself Wednesday by saying she was invited by Taipei, which was “best placed to understand what will help Taiwan’s course”.

Beijing has in recent years stepped up air and sea incursions around Taiwan, whose President Tsai Ing-wen has refused to accept that the island is a part of China.

After a visit to Taiwan by then-speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, China launched massive military drills around the island.

There were more drills this year following a meeting in the United States between Tsai and Pelosi’s successor.

ALSO READ: ‘China and UK should focus on cooperation’

ALSO READ: ‘Russia becoming a vassal of China amid Ukraine war’

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‘We should have ‘done more earlier’ to counter Putin’

Truss urged the U.K. to do all it could to help Ukraine win the war as soon as possible, including sending fighter jets, an ongoing matter of debate in Western capitals despite Ukrainian pleas…reports Asian Lite News

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss argued the U.K. should have “done more earlier” to counter Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric before he invaded Ukraine, and said the West depended on Russian oil for too long.

Truss — the U.K.’s shortest-serving prime minister who resigned amid market turmoil last year — was speaking in a House of Commons debate about Ukraine, her first contribution in the chamber as a backbencher since 2012. She has been increasingly vocal on foreign policy since leaving office.

The former prime minister, who as served foreign secretary for Boris Johnson before succeeding him in the top job, recalled receiving a phone call at 3.30 a.m. on the morning of the invasion, and told MPs: “This was devastating news. But as well as being devastating, it was not unexpected.”

Truss praised the “sheer bravery” of Ukrainians defending their country, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Cabinet for not fleeing the country in the aftermath. “I remember being on a video conference that evening with the defense secretary and our counterparts, who weren’t in Poland, who weren’t in the United States,” she said of Ukraine’s top team. “They were in Kyiv and they were defending their country,” she added.

But while Truss argued Western sanctions had imposed an economic toll on Putin’s Russia, said urged reflection. “The reason that Putin took the action he took is because he didn’t believe we would follow through,” she argued, and said the West should “hold ourselves to high standards.”

Ukraine, she said, should have been allowed to join NATO.

“We were complacent about freedom and democracy after the Cold War,” she said. “We were told it was the end of history and that freedom and democracy were guaranteed and that we could carry on living our lives not worrying about what else could happen.”

Truss urged the U.K. to do all it could to help Ukraine win the war as soon as possible, including sending fighter jets, an ongoing matter of debate in Western capitals despite Ukrainian pleas.

And the former prime minister said the West should “never again” be “complacent in the face of Russian money, Russian oil and gas,” tying any future lifting of sanctions “to reform in Russia.”

ALSO READ-NSA Doval meets Putin in Moscow

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Truss calls for tougher China policy

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing pressure from some within his party to re-classify China as a “threat” instead of a “systemic competitor” …reports Asian Lite News

Former British prime minister Liz Truss will call on Friday for Taiwan to be given more arms and for the Group of Seven nations to agree a coordinated package of sanctions against China if there is an escalation of military tensions around the island.

In her first speech since she was forced out of office last year, Truss will tell a conference in Japan designed to coordinate the policies of democratic governments towards China that the West should take a tougher approach to the world’s second largest economy.

Truss will say there are people who argue that “the rise of a totalitarian China” is inevitable and “standing up to this regime is a hopeless task” but she rejects this “fatalism”.

“The free world has a significant role to play in whether or not that happens – and how it happens,” Truss will say, according to extracts of her speech.

Xi Jinping delivers an important speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in Beijing, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng/IANS)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing pressure from some within his party to re-classify China as a “threat” instead of a “systemic competitor” in an update to the government’s defence and foreign policy strategy, which is expected to be published next month.

Sunak last year called for “robust pragmatism” with China and emphasised the need to engage with Beijing, prompting concern from some within his party that he will adopt a softer approach to relations than his predecessor.

Truss will appear at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China conference in Tokyo alongside two other former prime ministers, Australia’s Scott Morrison and Belgium’s Guy Verhofstadt.

She will call for a number of policies towards China including granting Taiwan full diplomatic status, ensuring the island has enough weapons to defend itself, and will say the decision to grant a pomp-laden state visit to President Xi Jinping in 2015 was a mistake.

“I should know – I attended a banquet in his honour,” she will say. “Looking back, I think this sent the wrong message.”

ALSO READ: East Turkistan urges UK police to arrest Xinjiang Governor

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Boris back in London to launch leadership bid

Boris Johnson was forced to step down on July 7 following a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership

Merely three months after he was ousted from power, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson landed in Britain on Saturday from a Caribbean holiday to launch a formal bid for the Conservative Party leadership, following Liz Truss’s resignation this week, according to UK media reports.

Johnson was forced to step down on July 7 following a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership. Johnson now expressed his willingness to enter the PM race, saying he is “up for it.”

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in the Johnson cabinet was also quick to mark his bid for the Tory and the British Prime Ministership having secured more than a hundred nominations – which is the minimum requirement to contest for the post.

Sunak late Friday became the first Tory leadership contender to reach the 100-nomination threshold to run for party leader following the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss, reported Independent citing campaign sources.

Sunak, who fell to Truss in the last leadership contest, got the backing of at least 100 Conservative Party lawmakers to enter the UK PM race.

This is a key development after Liz Truss’ resignation as UK Prime Minister on Thursday which threw the country into political turmoil and left it scrambling for a stable government, as the opposition reiterated its demand for a general election.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak as they make their way up the staircase of No10 Downing Street to give a press conference on the Coronavirus. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

On Friday, Penny Mordaunt, the Tory leader in the House of Commons too threw her hat in the ring. “I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest,” Mordaunt tweeted.

Tory MPs will vote on Monday, and two candidates will be put forward to the Tory membership unless one pulls out. The result will be announced on Friday, October 28.

It is pertinent to note that Truss became the shortest-serving British PM after she stepped down, stating that she recognises she “cannot deliver the mandate” on which she was elected. Truss said she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week.

In view of Truss’s resignation, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer issued a scathing statement that ripped into the Conservative Party and called for a general election.

After 12 years of “Tory failure,” he said the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos. “We need a general election now,” he said.

Truss stepping down was preceded by the sacking of UK Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng and the resignation of Home Secretary Suella Braverman tendered her resignation. Liz only remained in power for 45 days after succeeding Boris Johnson last month. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Sunak gets backing of over 100 MPs to enter PM race

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Sunak gets backing of over 100 MPs to enter PM race

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves the Prime Minister Boris Johnson weekly Cabinet Meeting inside No10 Downing Street on his way to deliver his 2021 Budget to the House of Commons. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

Rishi Sunak, who fell to Liz Truss in the last leadership contest, got the backing of at least 100 Conservative Party lawmakers to enter the UK PM race.

Conservative British politician of Indian descent Rishi Sunak is quick off the mark to bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party and the British Prime Ministership having secured more than a hundred nominations – which is the minimum requirement to contest for the post.

Sunak, late Friday became the first Tory leadership contender to reach the 100-nomination threshold to run for party leader following the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss, reported Independent citing campaign sources.

Sunak, who fell to Truss in the last leadership contest, got the backing of at least 100 Conservative Party lawmakers to enter the UK PM race. This is a key development after Liz Truss’ resignation as UK Prime Minister on Thursday which threw the country into political turmoil and left it scrambling for a stable government, as the opposition reiterated its demand for a general election.

Former UK PM Boris Johnson had also expressed his will to enter the PM race saying he is “up for it.” On Friday, Penny Mordaunt, the Tory leader in the House of Commons too threw her hat in the ring. “I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest,” Mordaunt tweeted.

After Sunak reached the 100 nomination mark Conservative MP for Bournemouth East tweeted, “The free mkt experiment is over – it’s been a low point in our Party’s great history. The reset begins. Time for centrist, stable, fiscally responsible Government offering credible domestic & international leadership. Honoured to be the 100th Tory MP to support #Ready4Rishi.”

File photo shows Boris Johnson hosting the Prime Ministers Business Council alongside Rishi Sunak and leading business figures in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

Former Health secretary Matt Hancock also confirmed his support for Sunak. He tweeted, “I have worked incredibly closely with Boris, Rishi & Penny in Government. I admire all three. With the challenges we face today: economic crisis & the need to restore authoritative leadership, Rishi Sunak is the best person to lead our country. I’m voting Rishi & hope you do too.”

Meanwhile, Tory MP Nigel Mills said it was a “mistake” for him not to back Sunak during the summer’s leadership contest. Mills tweeted, “A few weeks ago I changed my mind and didn’t back Rishi Sunak. I’m not making the same mistake again, he is clearly the prime minister we need to restore stability and tackle the many serious challenges facing the country.”

Tory MPs will vote on Monday, and two candidates will be put forward to the Tory membership unless one pulls out. The result will be announced on Friday, October 28.

It is pertinent to note that Truss became the shortest-serving British PM after she stepped down, stating that she recognises she “cannot deliver the mandate” on which she was elected. Truss said she would step aside for a new leader to be chosen within the next week.

“I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills, Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent and our country has been held back for too long by low economic growth,” she said in a statement.

“I recognize though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party,” she added.

Shortly after Truss’s resignation, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer issued a scathing statement that ripped into the Conservative Party and called for a general election.

“After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos. We need a general election now,” he said and added that “Each one of these crises was made in Downing Street but paid for by the British public. Each one has left our country weaker and worse off.”

“The British public deserves a proper say on the country’s future. They must have the chance to compare the Tories’ chaos with Labour’s plans to sort out their mess, grow the economy for working people and rebuild the country for a fairer, greener future. We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election – now,” he added.

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks at the UK House of Commons. (UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor)

Truss stepped down a day after Indian-origin Home Secretary Suella Braverman tendered her resignation, citing “technical infringement of the rules” she committed while sending official documents.

In the letter addressed to PM Truss, she also expressed concerns about the direction of the government and said key pledges made to voters have been broken.

Braverman comes less than a week after UK Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng was fired after serving for less than six weeks. Kwarteng was sacked after the new government’s September 23 plan of massive tax cuts resulted in the plunging of British government bonds.

Earlier, Truss defeated former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak through a postal ballot of all Conservative members. Truss secured 81,326 votes while Sunak got 60,399 votes.

Sunak had thanked supporters who backed him in the Conservative Party race and said now it was time for all of them to unite behind the new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss.

The Tory leadership race was triggered after Boris Johnson was forced to step down on July 7 following a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership. Sunak and Truss rose to the Conservative ranks to end up as finalists for the contest for the post of UK Prime Minister. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Is it back to Boris or Sunak?

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Will Truss be the shortest-serving British PM?

Prime Minister Liz Truss visits the Empire State Building while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York . Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

The current incumbent of 10 Downing Street Liz Truss, who has been in post for only 39 days, appears to be increasingly in danger of being ousted by her Conservative party MPs, unless there’s a dramatic turnaround in her fortunes over the next few days, a report by Ashis Ray

The shortest-serving British Prime Minister was George Canning, who, in 1827, was in office for a mere 119 days. His term though was cut short not by political events, but by his premature death at the age of 57.

The current incumbent of 10 Downing Street Liz Truss, who has been in post for only 39 days, appears to be increasingly in danger of being ousted by her Conservative party MPs, unless there’s a dramatic turnaround in her fortunes over the next few days.

Nicholas Watt, political editor of the in-depth current affairs programme on TV, BBC Newsnight, tweeted: “The PM will find it difficult to survive”. According to him, a group of Conservative lawmakers are planning to call on Truss to resign next week.

Prime Minister Liz Truss appoints Jeremy Hunt as her new Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Cabinet Room of No10 Downing Street. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

Watt’s post following the sacking of Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng on Friday morning. His ‘mini-budget’ last month created a 62 billion pound hole in the British government’s finances with sweeping, populist, unfunded tax cuts.

The giveaway was received with considerable concern in the markets. The value of the pound collapsed from around $1.30 to lmost the level of the United States currency. It was trading at $1.12 on Friday.

In a letter accepting his dismissal, Kwarteng u-turned by asking Truss to move forward to “fiscal discipline”. This was interpreted in informed circles as an impending reversal of some of the tax cuts announced by the former only three weeks ago.

Prime Minister Liz Truss attends a reception to celebrate the USA-British Lamb Agreement in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

The bottom line however is, the mini-budget was nothing but a reflection of the promises made by Truss during her bid for the leadership of the Conservative party and therefore the post of Prime Minister. It will, pundits suggested, be difficult for her to distance herself from the proposals. On the other hand, if she does a volte-face, her credibility could suffer irreparably.

Truss repeatedly clashed with her Indian-origin rival in the leadership contest Rishi Sunak on tax issues. Sunak conspicuously did not attend last week’s annual Conservative party conference. It remains to be seen if he emerges as Truss’s potential successor, if she is forced to step down.

Truss was expected to address a press conference later on Friday.

ALSO READ: Truss battles to survive

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Good riddance, say MPs after Priti quits

“Priti Patel’s legacy is one of enormous cruelty towards those seeking asylum and appalling mismanagement of the worst government department,” tweeted Glasgow South MP Stewart McDonald…reports Asian Lite News

Hours after Liz Truss was voted as the UK Prime Minister to succeed Boris Johnson, Priti Patel – who held the post of Britain’s home secretary, or interior minister – announced that she will step down and continue serving the country from the “backbenches” of Witham constituency.

Critics who have criticised the former minister for overpromising and underdelivering on immigration, crime, charity and other policies in her three-year tenure, termed Patel’s exit as “good riddance”, alleging that she has been the “worst home secretary in living memory”.

A series of tweets followed after her announcement with a letter on the microblogging site.

“Priti Patel will go down as the worst Home Secretary in history. Her tenure has been plagued by allegations of bullying and spiteful policies which have made our country a pariah on the fringes of international law. Sadly, I expect more of the same from her successor,” said Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker.

“Good riddance @pritipatel. You were an unspeakably cruel Home Secretary and won’t be missed by anyone with a shred of decency,” wrote Zarah Sultana, Labour Party MP for Coventry South.

“Priti Patel’s legacy is one of enormous cruelty towards those seeking asylum and appalling mismanagement of the worst government department,” tweeted Glasgow South MP Stewart McDonald.

Patel was often termed as a bully by her colleagues. According to the Independent, the morale inside the home office of the UK government was left in tatters because of Boris Johnson’s decision to keep Priti Patel as home secretary despite findings that she broke the ministerial code by bullying civil servants.

“The emotional and physical toll on staff was extreme… Staff concerns, at all levels, are not listened to or, at worse, actively penalised,” Lucy Moreton, a professional officer at the Immigration Services Union (ISU), was quoted as saying in the Independent report.

Journalist Nicola Kelly, who has worked for the UK home office in the past, wrote on Twitter reminding of how it was to work with Patel.

“A reminder of just how bad it was to work inside Priti Patel’s Home Office. Source messaged earlier: “anyone – Suella included – would be better than what we’ve had,” she said.

ALSO READ-Truss earmarks £130 bn for energy  

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Liz Truss wins UK PM race

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss rose to the Conservative ranks to end up as finalists for the contest for the post of UK Prime Minister…reports Asian Lite News

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has defeated former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership race and will now be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Forty-seven-year-old Liz Truss will become the third female prime minister of the UK. She defeated Sunak through a postal ballot of all Conservative members.

The Tory leadership race was triggered after Boris Johnson was forced to step down on July 7 following a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss rose to the Conservative ranks to end up as finalists for the contest for the post of UK Prime Minister.

During nearly a dozen hustings and after a six-week long head-to-head competition, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak had explained their long-term visions for Britain. Both contenders went through bouts of 12 nationwide events with the first bout in Leeds, Northern England.

Truss indicated that she will strongly push back against “identity politics of the left” as she has envisioned the legislation for single-sex spaces such as domestic violence shelters.  Sunak batted for cutting VAT to revive the country’s economic situation.

Liz Truss undertook a two-day trip to India in October last year. During her visit, she underscored the importance of partnership with India. Truss stressed that both countries should work together on the set plans for the future.

The Roadmap 2030 for India-UK future relations was launched during a virtual summit between the two countries in May last year. This Roadmap is for revitalised and dynamic connections between people, re-energised trade, investment and technological collaboration.

In another visit in March this year, Truss along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved so far concerning Roadmap 2030 and agreed to further intensify efforts to deliver results in priority areas of trade and investments, defence, and migration.

Both sides appreciated the substantial progress made in the India-UK FTA negotiations with two productive rounds completed since its launch in January 2022. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Truss set to be next PM

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Truss vows to scrap all EU laws by next year

Liz Truss with members from Richmond Conservatives. (Photo: Twitter@trussliz)

Liz Truss said she will “seize the chance to diverge from outdated EU law and frameworks and capitalise on the opportunities.”

Amid the ongoing contest for the Tory leadership, top contender Liz Truss has promised to review all EU laws retained in the British statute book by the end of next year, and to scrap measures deemed to be holding back the City of London.

UK foreign secretary Truss, in a statement, vowed a “red tape bonfire” if she became prime minister, including reform of the Mifid II trading rules. She also promised to unleash the “full potential” of Britain post-Brexit.

 “EU regulations hinder our businesses and this has to change. In Downing Street, I will seize the chance to diverge from outdated EU law and frameworks and capitalise on the opportunities we have ahead of us,” she was quoted as saying by the Financial Times.

This comes as Truss along with former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak emerged as the final two candidates in the country’s leadership race of the ruling Conservative party on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was knocked out in the final round of ballot among Conservative lawmakers. Sunak won 137 votes and Truss 113.

The contest to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister will now go before the Conservative Party’s 200,000-odd dues-paying members, who will select the winner later this summer via mail-in ballot. The winner, to be announced on Sept. 5, will automatically become Johnson’s successor.

Though Sunak has won each of the five rounds of voting by lawmakers, a YouGov poll published on Tuesday showed that he was less popular with the party’s grassroots. He is predicted to lose to Truss, a favourite of the party’s right-wing, in the head-to-head contest.

Both candidates have made pledges on tax cuts as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. However, Sunak dismissed as “fairytales” his rivals’ promises of immediate tax cuts, arguing that inflation must be brought under control first.

Inflation in Britain rose by 9.4 per cent in June, hitting a fresh 40-year high, official statistics showed on Wednesday. Truss, on the other hand, promised to start cutting taxes from day one.

The Tory leadership race was triggered after Johnson was forced to step down on July 7 by an avalanche of resignations of government officials, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership. Johnson continues to serve as caretaker prime minister until a new Tory leader succeeds him. (ANI)

ALSO READ: UK inflation hits fresh 40-year high

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Mordaunt eliminated as Sunak and Truss reach final

The four survivors were former Sunak (115 votes), Mordaunt (82 votes), Truss (71 votes), and Badenoch (58 votes)…reports Asian Lite News

Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss emerged as the final two candidates in the Tory leadership race after Penny Mordaunt was knocked out of the contest on Wednesday.

International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was knocked out in the final round of ballot among Conservative lawmakers. Rishi Sunak won 137 votes, while Truss received 113 in the final round, reported Xinhua.

The two will now go through a postal ballot among all Conservative Party members, numbering around 200,000, over the summer. The winner, to be announced on September 5, will automatically become UK’s next Prime Minister, replacing outgoing Boris Johnson.

Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, topped the first round with 88 votes, according to Graham Brady, chair of the Conservative Backbench 1922 Committee.

The other five survivors were International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (67 votes), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (50 votes), former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch (40 votes), Backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat (37 votes) and Attorney General Suella Braverman (32 votes).

Subsequently, four candidates made it to the Tory leadership race to replace outgoing Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) after the third round of voting concluded on July 18. Tom Tugendhat, House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, was knocked out of the race as he received the fewest votes.

The four survivors were former Sunak (115 votes), Mordaunt (82 votes), Truss (71 votes), and Badenoch (58 votes).

Indian-origin former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak retained the lead in the fourth round of voting on Tuesday to succeed Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, while one candidate was eliminated.

Sunak came on top with 118 votes, followed by Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt with 92 votes and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss with 86 votes. Former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch was eliminated from the contest, reducing the number of contestants to three, according to the 1922 Committee of Conservative Party backbenchers.

Boris Johnson replaced Theresa May as prime minister in 2019 and announced on July 7 that he was stepping down as prime minister and leader of the UK Conservative Party.

A total of 58 ministers quit the government following an ethics scandal which ultimately forced the UK premier to resign. Johnson, 58, managed to remain in power for almost three years, despite allegations that he was too close to party donors, that he protected supporters from bullying and corruption allegations, and that he misled Parliament and was dishonest to the public about government office parties that broke pandemic lockdown rules.

Johnson would continue to remain in office until October as caretaker prime minister until a new Tory leader is elected.

Johnson, who won a landslide victory in the general elections in 2019, lost support after he was caught in a string of scandals, including the ‘Party Gate’ scandal and the Pincher scandal involving his appointment of a politician accused of sexual misconduct. (ANI)

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