Everyone wants to take their place, or almost.

Six candidates are still in the running on Wednesday to succeed Boris Johnson, after a first round of voting in which Conservative MPs put ex-finance minister Rishi Sunak in the lead.

Nearly a week after the announcement of the resignation of the British Prime Minister, swept away by a series of scandals, two of the eight suitors have been eliminated from the race to succeed him at the head of the Conservative party and ultimately in Downing Street.

Rishi Sunak, the favorite

Ex-finance minister Rishi Sunak, 42, whose resignation last week helped spark a haemorrhage of executive departures, landed 88 votes, according to results reported by Graham Brady, who leads the committee that organizes the internal ballot.

Little known to the general public but on the rise, Secretary of State for International Trade Penny Mordaunt came second with 67 votes, ahead of Foreign Minister Liz Truss (50 votes).

Second round Thursday

A second round of votes is due to be held on Thursday, the aim being to designate the two finalists before the end of next week.

The winner, elected by party members - 160,000 voters in the last internal election of 2019 - should be known on September 5.

According to a YouGov poll on Wednesday of Conservative voters, Penny Mordaunt would come out on top in voting intentions and beat all her rivals in the event of a duel.

Other candidates still in the running, mostly largely unknown to the general public, are MP Tom Tugendhat, Government Legal Adviser ("Attorney General") Suella Braverman, former Secretary of State for Equality Kemi Badenoch .

New Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi and former Health Minister Jeremy Hunt were eliminated on Wednesday.

Brutal and right-wing campaign

In this campaign as bitter as it is unpredictable, the candidates work hard to convince the deputies in meetings which take place behind closed doors.

Several were thus auditioned on Wednesday by Conservative MPs.

Several televised debates are also planned in the coming days.

The campaign, which is aimed solely at members of the Conservative party, is clearly marked on the right and brings together its share of low blows and controversy.

Among the heavyweights, Rishi Sunak is the subject of virulent attacks from the Johnson camp, which accuses him of having led the Prime Minister to his downfall by launching the wave of resignations on July 4.

Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, a fervent supporter of Boris Johnson, thus qualified him as a “socialist” former chancellor.

World

United Kingdom: Boris Johnson "leaves with his head held high", but sooner than expected

World

Resignation of Boris Johnson: From Liz Truss to Rishi Sunak... Who to replace the Prime Minister?

  • World

  • Boris Johnson

  • UK

  • Britain

  • Policies

  • Controversy