Liz Truss (Photo: Flickr)
Few members of the ruling Conservative Party have backed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as the race for leadership begins this month, but there is now a feeling she will become Britain’s next prime minister.
“You only lose if you want to” is the common phrase of party members, who will vote in the coming weeks to name the new Conservative Party leader and successor to Boris Johnson.
But for many members, the driving force behind their support for Truss is not so much about her as about her rival, former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who, according to many Conservatives, cannot receive the keys to Downing’s No. 10 Street (Prime Minister’s official) residence and office ) after “stabbing” Johnson.
After Johnson was forced to announce his resignation on July 7 amid waves of scandal, party lawmakers narrowed the race to 11 candidates for Truss and Sunak – and it is now up to all party members to decide, and the outcome. The fifth of September.
With the UK facing a potential recession and surging inflation, most of the party want their next leader to stabilize, fed up with the chaos caused by the Johnson administration and bitter competition for leadership.
Polls among members put Truss, 47, well ahead of Sunak, 42. Last week Truss led Sunak by 24 points, according to YouGov, although it trailed Sunak among MPs votes. But an unmotivated support base at the party can leave it vulnerable if you can’t stabilize the ship quickly.
“Obviously I’d want Liz Truss if it was one of the two,” said Paul Donaghy, a member of the Conservative Council of Southern Washington in Sunderland, a town in northern England that became synonymous with Brexit when it was the first region to veer to the side. The results of the 2016 referendum on European Union membership.
“She was one of the only people who didn’t put the knife to Boris and I think that’s true of a lot of people,” said Donaghy, who initially backed another candidate.
Donaghy’s view echoes that of many party members, some of whom joined the party because of Johnson and are suspicious of Sunak, whose resignation on 5 July as finance minister helped spark a wider rebellion against the prime minister by Tory MPs.
Truss and Sunak traded barbs especially over the timing of the final tax cuts, with Sunak calling Truss’ plans for the immediate cuts “comfortable fairy tales,” though he made an adjustment this week, providing relief from higher bills.
Meanwhile, Truss Sunak, a former party member and former Goldman Sachs banker, has called for a “socialist” whose plans would plunge Britain into recession.
Emily Brontë is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, literature, and current affairs. She is dedicated to producing clear, accurate reporting that helps readers stay informed about developments in the UK and around the world.
