The one with the most support among Tory MPs (he obtained 137 votes out of 357), this is Rishi Sunak. 42 years old, seductive smile, natural eloquence, the man is an elegant man who never takes off his Prada moccasins… even to visit construction sites, which has recently earned him some criticism. Grandson of Indian immigrants, he followed the classic path of the British elite: private school for boys (Winchester College), University of Oxford. First a consultant at Goldman Sachs, then at the head of a hedge fund, he fortune in finance before later tasting politics. He has only been an MP since 2015, for Yorkshire (north of England).
Break!
Be Her (Liz Truss: Min Foreign Affairs)
either him (Rishi Sunak: ex Min Finances)
will replace Johnson on September 5…Tory MPs narrowed the list down to these 2
The 160K+ party members have 6 weeks to question them and decide between them pic.twitter.com/zg8lXaz2nM—Alex Taylor (@AlexTaylorNews) July 20, 2022
At the Ministry of the Economy, Rishi Sunak has managed the difficult period of the pandemic well, he is cultivating his image as a competent, honest, serious candidate. We only know of one blunder, in front of high school students to whom he admitted to being: “a total coke addict” ( “totally addicted to coke”) He was talking of course… about Coca-Cola.
But his star was a little tarnished after revelations about his tax arrangements… His wife, an Indian billionaire whose fortune exceeds that of the Queen of England, did not pay taxes in the United Kingdom and until last year, declared his income to him in the United States (advantage reserved for holders of a green card, which entitles them to a long-term residence permit). Another handicap in the eyes of the Johnson camp is that he is the traitor who precipitated the fall of the Prime Minister by resigning at the beginning of July.
Opposite him, Lizz Truss, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who, at 46, has already led an impressive number of ministries (from the environment to trade via justice…); even if she appears to be the natural heiress of Boris Johnson, she has shown herself to be rather unconvincing so far in the debates and has more support among the base of the party than in the ranks of MPs.
Blonde and smooth hair, outspoken but monotonous diction, Liz Truss has become the fashionable personality among conservatives. His lack of charisma is however coupled with a certain awkwardness. On Wednesday July 20, just after being confirmed, she mistakenly tweeted: “I am ready to hit the ground from day one”which means : ” I’m ready to crash from day one “…His message has been corrected. She actually wanted to write “I’m ready to start with a bang” (“to hit the ground running from day one“).
Several polls still give her the winner against her former colleague in Finance. According to the polling company Yougov, it would even be ahead of him by 54% against 35% of the votes.
It is mainly on economic issues which were at the heart of the campaign that the two candidates differ, while the country recorded inflation at 9.4% in June over one year. Liz Truss, who promise all-out deregulation to please Brexiteers, has also undertaken to apply major tax cuts”since the first day” to protect the purchasing power of the British, while Rishi Sunak on the contrary wants to maintain the recent increases to balance the accounts.
Liz Truss has put a lot of energy in recent months to perfect her image as a pure and hard Brexiter: while in 2016 she voted to remain in the European Union, she today defends with conviction the Northern Irish protocol that Brussels considers a violation of the United Kingdom’s international commitments.
Like Thatcher, the “Iron Lady” who ruled the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, she presents herself as a champion of free trade and wants to embody the essence of British conservatism. She never misses the opportunity to stage himself as his inspirational figure. In November 2021, she was photographed aboard a tank, during a visit to NATO forces in Estonia? Margaret Thatcher had done the same at a British base in West Germany in 1986.
The two finalists will have the opportunity to compare their ideas during a debate on July 25 on the BBC, live from Stoke-on-Trent, a city in central England which had voted more than 69% for Brexit. in the 2016 referendum, in front of an audience of 80 to 100 people.
It is now some 200,000 members of the Conservative Party who will vote by mail throughout the month of August to decide between them. On September 5, we will know the name of the winner responsible for giving a new start to the somewhat battered formation after the tumultuous Johnson period.
“Hasta la vista baby.” Boris Johnson quote @Schwarzenegger for his last #PMQs. https://t.co/rPkMRdrFwz
—Alexander Seale (@AlexSeale) July 20, 2022
On Wednesday July 20, during his last questioning session in Parliament, BoJo, who officially does not support either of the two candidates, gave some advice: “Stay close to Americans, support Ukrainians, fight for freedom and democracy. Lower taxes and deregulate to make this country the best place to live and invest. “
Before concluding : “Hasta la vista, baby”,Ia famous quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2. Whoever the future tenant of Downing Street is, the British will gain stability… but lose fantasy.