Former UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak won the most votes in the first round of voting to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, as two candidates were eliminated.
Rishi Sunak, whose resignation helped trigger the downfall of Boris Johnson last week, took an early lead in the race to succeed him.
Rishi Sunak scored 88 votes, ahead of junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt on 67 and foreign Secretary Liz Truss on 50. Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi and former cabinet Minister Jeremy Hunt were eliminated.
Lawmaker Kemi Badenoch received 40 votes, Tom Tugendhat received 37 and Suella Braverman received 32.
I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister.
Let’s restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country. #Ready4Rishi
Sign up 👉 https://t.co/KKucZTV7N1 pic.twitter.com/LldqjLRSgF
— Ready For Rishi (@RishiSunak) July 8, 2022
Rishi Sunak, son of a medical doctor and a pharmacist mother, highlighted his family’s backstory of immigration in his slick campaign video, which was widely seen. As Finance Minister , he was much in the limelight during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering billions of support for businesses and the self-employed affected by the economic collapse.
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UK Boris Johnson Rishi Sunak Administration Europe