Based on the polls, it seems that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will be named as Boris Johnson’s successor.
In Britain, members of the Conservative Party can still today vote for their favorite as the next leader of the party and successor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Voting, which started in mid-August and ends today at 19:00 Finnish time, has been carried out online and by mail. There are estimated to be around 180,000-200,000 eligible to vote, which is only a few tenths of the entire adult population of Britain.
According to polls, the favorite of the race is the foreign minister Liz Truss. The other candidate is the former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who resigned from the Johnson government in July. Numerous ministerial resignations eventually led to Johnson’s resignation, but he remained in his post until the party’s next leader is chosen.
The name of the winner will be announced on Monday. Pesti starts the next day.
The prime minister changes at a difficult time
The new prime minister takes the scepter in a difficult time. Inflation in Britain is at its highest in 40 years, and the price of energy has risen so much that both companies and citizens may not be able to cope with their bills. Earlier this week, major pub and brewery chains announced that many pubs may be forced to close due to unsustainable cost levels.
The coming winter has been predicted to be catastrophic, and some cities have planned so-called “heat banks”, where, for example, the elderly could go to warm up from their cold homes. For example, hospitals have also warned that due to increased energy costs, expenses must be cut elsewhere, possibly from personnel or treatment queues.
If Truss wins the race, he has promised to cut taxes to boost growth. He has not explained in detail how he would help citizens in the cost of living crisis.
Sunak, on the other hand, has vowed that fighting inflation would be his number one priority. He has called his rival Truss’s plans to lower taxes irresponsible.