The politics of the United Kingdom has taken an interesting turn. The country’s Conservative Party lawmakers have recently selected the final two candidates in the race to become the UK’s next prime minister— former Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak and current Secretary of State Liz Truss. Now both Sunak and Truss will be canvassing among their grassroot party members across the country to solicit their support for leadership. The whole process is expected to end in early September following a ballot of the party members. At that point, current Prime Minister Boris Johnson would formally leave his post and his successor would take over.
Observers say the dice seems to be loaded in favour of Truss. As the chancellor of exchequer, Sunak’s popularity with the British public had soared during the coronavirus pandemic. He had announced a series of policies that provided many citizens with financial support during the crisis. That popularity is somewhat absent now. There has been a controversy over his wealthy wife’s tax affairs. His views on tax are not going down well with the public. He is for retaining current high taxes in the country. Euro-skeptics suspect Sunak of pro-EU vews.
On the other hand, Truss has been very close to the outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She has served in his pro-Brexit government as trade secretary and the then foreign secretary. Truss is a favourite among Conservatives, who revere former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She has in recent years taken an increasingly hard-line approach to British relations with the European Union. Truss has been very popular in the UK. As foreign secretary, she has advanced unflinching British support for Ukraine in its present crisis. She has promised to cut taxes if she comes to power.
