Two candidates vie for the premiership of the United Kingdom

Published on 07/21/2022 06:00

On the one hand, Rishi Sunak, 42, is a British-Indian, former finance minister, who graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the famous Oxford University. On the other hand, Liz Truss, 46, has been Secretary of State since 2021 and former Minister of Justice. Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Merton College. One of them will be the next leader of the Conservative Party, and therefore the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In the vote among parliamentarians to choose the final candidates for the position of head of government, Sunak received 137 votes to 113 votes for Truss. Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Penny Mordaunt received 105 votes and was eliminated. The two will compete for the postal votes of the 200,000-strong Conservative Party. The name of the new prime minister is expected to be approved on 5 September.

In an interview with MailAnthony Gillies, professor emeritus at Buckingham University, said he believed Sunak would be better for the UK than Truss. “Whereas Sunak is from the center-right, Truss is from the far-right. Sunak understands that inflation must be contained, while Truss says that taxes must be reduced, which means more money in the economy and more loans and more inflation.”

According to Glees, Sunak has always believed in Brexit – a divorce between the UK and the European Union – but recognized that the British economy must avoid further friction with the bloc. Truss wanted the UK to remain in the EU, but like outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he absorbed pressure from lawmakers. Both Sunak and Truss were Johnson’s slave supporters. However, Sunak was forced to resign, not because of Trump’s government policy, But because of Johnson’s personality.”

Although Sunak was cited as the best option, Gillies believed Truss would be the best option. He suspects 180,000 members of the Conservative Party vote for a Hindu millionaire of Indian origin and recalls that Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murti, is richer than Queen Elizabeth II. “Polls point to Truss winning. She is an ongoing candidate for Boris Johnson. The chaos caused by Brexit will continue to shape UK politics until the general election,” Gillies concluded.

pragmatism

University of Manchester politics professor Nick Turnbull reminded the report that Sunak presents himself as a pragmatist and a more acceptable option at the moment in the UK, as well as highlighting his history as Chancellor of the Exchequer. “But being prime minister is more than just running the economy. He claims to be the best to win elections, but I find it hard to see him being so popular among unbiased voters.”

According to Turnbull, Truss portrayed herself as a Thatcher, adept at cutting government and lowering taxes. “This is not convincing, and only Tory members are happy. While Sunak is more popular with MPs, Tory members prefer Truss. Both hope to restore middle-class confidence, but conditions are very difficult.”

I suspect…

“I suspect Liz Truss will be more committed to the right-wing populist agenda – tax cuts and a tougher stance than the Northern Ireland Protocol. That is why he is unlikely to win.”

Andrew Blake, Director of the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London