Truss and Sunak qualify for final round of Tory leadership contest as Mordaunt eliminated

UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss and ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak are set to compete head to head in the race to become Britain’s next Prime Minister after Penny Mordaunt was eliminated from the Conservative Party leadership race. Sunak garnered major support in the fifth round of runoff voting by Tory MPs at Westminster. He received 137 votes, followed by Truss who managed to get 113. Mordaunt, the junior trade minister who had made to the final round runoff ballot was eliminated and managed to score 105 votes. The opinion polls, however, suggest that Truss is ahead of Sunak among party members. 

Sir Graham Brady reads out the results

Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, on July 20 read out the results, with Rishi Sunak gaining total 137 votes and Liz Truss garnering a total 113 votes. While Penny Mordaunt was ousted with 105 votes. Liz Truss released a statement as she thanked the supporter MPs, saying: "I would also like to pay tribute to every candidate who stood for the leadership. Each of them has contributed enormously to the Conservative Party and to public life." Furthermore she added, "I am excited to now take to the country to make the case to the Conservative party about my bold new economic plan that will cut taxes, grow our economy and unleash the potential of everyone in our United Kingdom."

Truss' campaign team quoted her saying that as a prime minister, she would "hit the ground running from day one, unite the party and govern in line with Conservative values." "I am incredibly proud to be a part of the Conservative and Unionist party and am excited to spend the next few weeks proving to all of our brilliant members exactly why I am the right person to lead it, and our great nation," she iterated.

Penny meanwhile congratulated Rishi and Liz for making it to the next round. "I pay tribute to anyone who puts themselves forward for such a demanding role. Politics isn’t easy. It can be a divisive and difficult place," she said in an official statement. "We must all now work together to unify our party and focus on the job that needs to be done. I am a one nation, proud Brexiteer," she stressed. Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee announced that it would be left to the UK's Tory members to choose the next PM for the country. 

Image: AP