Rishi Sunak vs Liz Truss in final round of contest for British PM

LONDON: The final battle for the post of British Prime Minister is between Indian origin Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Conservative Party members will vote to decide who will be the new Tory leader and Prime Minister.

Rishi Sunak won 137 votes in a poll among Tory MPs today to decide the final round of candidates. Liz Truss had the support of 113 MPs. Meanwhile, former minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated in the final ballot, with 105 MPs supporting her.

After entering the final race, Mr Sunak responded: “Grateful that my colleagues have put their trust in me today. I will work night and day to deliver our message around the country.”

If Rishi Sunak wins, he will become the first Indian-origin British Prime Minister.

Thanking her supporters for putting their faith in her, Ms Truss says she is ready to “hit the ground from day one”.

Mordaunt also thanked her supporters on Twitter and said that “we go forward together”. However, she has not yet signalled who she will be supporting in the final round.

The new British Prime Minister will be announced on September 5. Boris Johnson is expected to leave office on 6 September.