Tory race to claim PM title: Truss leads ahead of Sunak

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Aug 2022 15:11

In the race towards electing the new PM to succeed Boris Johnson, candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss compete for the position with the latter gaining traction, and ballots could take as long as August 11 to arrive to party members.

UK Candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss (TASS)

As elections near for the British Conservative Party’s decision on who will succeed PM Boris Johnson, Liz Truss rose as runner-up in the race for the position of Prime Minister, 60 percent of party members voiced their support for Truss’ succession of Boris Johnson - whom 53 percent of party members considered his coerced resignation unjust.

According to a YouGov poll for The Times, former chancellor and finance minister Rishi Sunak obtained just 26 percent of the votes, although he is observed to handle foreign matters better than his opponent.

Poll results differ greatly according to public opinions

Looking over demographics such as age groups and gender, the polls suggested that Truss already surpasses Sunak in the race, supported by a wave of recent endorsements. Still, her credibility took a hit after she was forced to renounce a pledge she had given earlier to cut government expenses of £8.8 billion ($10.7 billion), as it was discovered to take a toll on the salaries of more than five million teachers, nurses, and other public sector workers.

The poll further indicated varying public opinions on the political race across diverse topics that concerned the UK. 19 percent of voters believed Sunak could lead the Conservative Party to a win, as opposed to 39 percent for Truss. On the other hand, regarding the cost of living, 55 percent had faith in Truss’ ability, when only 31 percent did for Sunak.

Following the poll results, YouGov disclosed that the poll statistics could be an oddity, and only time could tell in the next few months if the Conservative Party did in fact regain its strength.

Possible delays and no withdrawals allowed

The Conservative party warned that ballots could be delayed as late as August 11, after government cyber security experts informed that the process was easily susceptible to hacker activity, in addition to being prohibited from changing a vote after its submission.