[ad_1]
Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch bowed out of the UK prime minister race after securing the backing of only 59 MPs on Tuesday evening.
The race has whittled down to three and there is certainty that Rishi Sunak will be one of the final two contenders as he secured 118 votes.
While it is certain that Rishi Sunak will be in the final ballot, the fifth round of voting will commence on Wednesday where the former chancellor to the exchequer will again face Penny Mordaunt and foreign secretary Liz Truss, with either one of dropping out of the race with the least number of votes.
However, uncertainty remains and who would be in the final two remains unclear as Rishi Sunak got 118 votes.
There are a total of 357 MPs and this means Sunak has the support of almost one-third of all MPs. Tobias Ellwood is barred from voting so there are 356 MPs instead of 357 MPs.
Sunak will now hope that Badenoch’s backers would back him with their votes so that he can enter the penultimate stage of the race.
The race for the second position has gained momentum.
There were speculations that it will be Rishi Sunak versus Penny Mordaunt but following Tuesday night’s results, it was seen that Truss increased her tally. Truss, who won the backing of 15 more MPs.
In the fourth round of voting, Truss received the backing of 71 MPs and on Tuesday evening she stood third with 86 MPs backing her.
Penny Mordaunt also improved her numbers as she was backed by 92 MPs. She was the runners-up after the fourth round of voting on Monday with 82 MPs backing her.
Rishi Sunak’s numbers are likely to concern his team as he gained only three votes on Tuesday.
Earlier on Monday, in Round 3 he won the backing of 115 MPs – 14 more MPs compared to Round 2 – which indicates he is having trouble getting more MPs to support him.
It, however, is unlikely that he will not make the final ballot, news agency the Guardian reported.
The news agency in its report also said that the campaign teams of Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt will focus on respective ‘Stop Truss’ and ‘Stop Mordaunt’ campaigns as they seek to become the other contender in the UK prime minister race.
Liz Truss earlier urged the Tories to unite with a right-leaning candidate within the party and Mordaunt has faced attacks from within the party for her support of trans rights.
Mordaunt’s stance will be a factor if she loses votes and is ousted in the next round.
The report by the Guardian also said that even if 60% of Badenoch’s backers vote for Liz Truss, that would be enough to see the foreign secretary enter the final stage of the race.
(with inputs from the Guardian)
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News, watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
[ad_2]
Source link
