LONDON, July 30 (BNA) British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss cemented her position as the frontrunner in the race to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson, winning an endorsement on Saturday from an influential former contender for the top job, the Associated Press (AP) reported. .
Tom Tugendhat, who was disqualified from the competition in previous rounds of voting by Conservative lawmakers, said Truss had “the resolution, determination and passion” to be prime minister.
The endorsement is a blow to former Treasurer Rishi Sunak, another finalist in the race for the next Conservative Party leader. The winner will be determined by the votes of nearly 180,000 party members from across the country.
Opinion polls give Truss an advantage with Tory members, although Sunak is more popular with the general public, who have no say in the race. The winner will be announced on September 5 and will automatically become prime minister, replacing Johnson, who stepped down as Conservative Party leader this month after three years in the job after months of moral scandals.
Tugendhat, a prominent figure from the party’s centrist One Nation group, wrote in the Times of London that Truss has “experience in foreign affairs to build alliances and keep our country safe”.
Truss also got support this week from Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who is highly regarded by party members for his handling of Britain’s response to the war in Ukraine. Wallace said Truss’ international experience as Britain’s top diplomat and commitment to increasing military spending gave her “the edge”.
Sunak, who was the favorite among Tory MPs who initially cut the number of candidates out of 11 contenders, is struggling to gain momentum. Truss was accused of promoting unrealistic promises, especially regarding the economy. Truss says she will cut taxes immediately to ease the cost-of-living crisis, while Sunak says it is necessary to get inflation under control first.
Sunak said Truss’ tax cuts would give “a rush to sugar” but ultimately “fuel the fire” of inflation, which is already at a 40-year high.
AOQ