How far is Rishi Sunak from the UK PM chair?
Rishi Sunak continues to lead the UK Prime Ministerial race. Photo: Getty Images
The race for the post of UK's Prime Minister is tightening. Rishi Sunak is still in the lead. There are only four candidates left to go and in 7 weeks' time, there will be a new resident at 10 Downing Street. Along with Larry The Cat, that is.
Who's leading the race? Former Finance Minister of UK Rishi Sunak is still in the lead, followed by Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch.
- Rishi Sunak: 115 votes
- Penny Mordaunt: 82 votes
- Liz Truss: 71 votes
- Kemi Badenoch: 58 votes
- Tom Tugendhat: 31 votes (eliminated)
Tory leader Tom Tugendhat was eliminated from the race after he got the least amount of votes. Going ahead, candidates with the least votes will be eliminated till there are only two prospective leaders left.
Is the road clear for Rishi Sunak's victory? Not quite yet. Rishi Sunak has clear support from Tory lawmakers but there are still a few hurdles on the way for him to becoming the Prime Minister of the UK.
- So far, no candidate, Rishi Sunak included, has received 120 votes that secure their place as the UK PM.
- In future battles, supporters of Kemi Badenoch and the last remaining candidates (in case they are eliminated) are expected to switch sides to the non-Rishi candidate as well.
I want to thank all the colleagues who supported me tonight.
— Ready For Rishi (@RishiSunak) July 18, 2022
Together we can rebuild our economy, keep Brexit safe & defeat Labour.
Join our team: https://t.co/3cXn1rFhca pic.twitter.com/COBUttJxKH
In the UK: The Prime Ministerial race has not been limited to just the numbers in the UK, but has been playing out on TV too. Debates with the Prime Ministerial candidates have turned into what the right-wing Conservative party supporting website Conservative Home described as the "Hunger Games" of politics.
Candidates from the Conservative Party have been ripping apart their own party and colleagues. They have also been criticising the policy decisions taken by their own party when they were themselves in power supporting the policies as ministers.
As a result, the Tuesday night debate on Sky News was scrapped. Sunak and Truss were the first ones to pull out of the debate with reports saying that senior Tories were concerned about the damage the debates were bringing to the image of the Conservative party.
I am committed to strengthening our nation’s security and defences.
— Liz for Leader (@trussliz) July 19, 2022
As Prime Minister, I will increase defence spending to 3% by 2030 - ensuring our Armed Forces are equipped to face down future threats and keep our country safe.#LizForLeader pic.twitter.com/ZMX881PCfy
Where is Boris Johnson? Boris Johnson continues to be the Prime Minister of the UK as of now despite announcing his resignation on July 7, 2022, following several scandals. Johnson is expected to vacate his office once his successor takes over on September 5.
One thing is clear about this Prime Ministerial race - it is unusual. According to the BBC, the UK is used to electing white men as the UK PM, but this race is dominated by two non-white candidates, one of whom is a woman; and the other two white candidates are women.
On to the next vote. Thank you to all my colleagues for their support.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 18, 2022
It’s all to play for. Continued momentum, closing the gap, I am the only change candidate left in the race.
I’m in it to win.
The real me. #PM4PM 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/75dcdgORpe
— Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) July 18, 2022
But the main question will be whether Larry the Cat will be approving of whoever becomes his housemate.
Fun Fact: Penny Mordaunt already has four Burmese cats that might move in with her to 10 Downing Street if she's elected the PM. Seems like there's a race to be the Chief Mouser of the Cabinet too.