D-Day for UK PM hopefuls Truss, Sunak

PTI

London, September 4

On the penultimate day, both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss — British PM hopefuls to succeed Boris Johnson — renewed their pledge to tackle the energy crisis sending household bills spiralling in the UK as a priority.

Winner to make acceptance speech

• Winner to be announced at 12:30 pm (UK time) by returning officer Sir Graham Brady
• The two finalists will find out who clinched the top job around 10 minutes before the public announcement
• The newly elected Tory leader will make a brief acceptance speech soon after near Downing Street
• The rest of Monday will involve the winner putting final touches to his or her Cabinet posts

On cost of living, energy crisis...

I will act immediately if elected Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister. Liz Truss, foreign secy

I think this is the most pressing issue and that's why I set out a clear plan and framework of how we will go about addressing it. Rishi Sunak, British Indian former chancellor

While the Indian-origin former Chancellor reiterated his approach of offering targeted support to people on lower incomes, the foreign secretary refrained from spelling out her plans to only say that she would “act immediately” if elected the leader and PM.

The issue of a cost-of-living crisis caused by spiralling energy costs in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has dominated the race to replace Johnson.

“I think this is the most pressing issue and that’s why I set out a clear plan and framework of how we would go about addressing it,” Sunak said during his final interview.

“What I have said is that I will provide direct financial support. I announced some of that as Chancellor and I would go further as PM as the situation has deteriorated,” he said.

Most surveys of Conservative Party members with a vote in the leadership race have concluded that it will be Truss, who will go on to become the UK’s third female PM, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. Sunak was the clear frontrunner with his Tory MP colleagues, who voted for him as a finalist in the race to succeed Johnson. However, the wider Tory membership base is believed to be still fiercely loyal to the outgoing leader and unhappy with his early exit from Downing Street. This loyalty is expected to have a bearing on the final outcome of the Tory leadership contest.

The result marks the culmination of weeks of high political drama at the heart of British government after nearly 60 senior ministers resigned from Cabinet forcing Boris Johnson out in the wake of the party-gate scandal of Covid law-breaking parties and a scandal involving a senior political aide.

On Tuesday, the day will begin with a farewell speech by outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the steps of his Downing Street office one last time before he is flown out to Aberdeenshire in Scotland for his audience with the Queen to formally resign as the head of government. Hours later, his successor will arrive separately in Scotland to be formally appointed Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II at her Balmoral Castle residence.

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