Following the past two days of voting from Tory MPs, the race to be elected as Prime Minister has narrowed considerably.
Eight original contenders are now five, after Suella Braverman, Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt were eliminated from the competition. Those remaining are Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Kemi Badenoch, and Tom Tugendhat.
After yesterday’s vote, Sunak seems to be the most popular candidate among Conservative MPs, having most recently earned 101 votes – Penny Mordaunt was the next closest with 83 votes.
Kemi Badenoch
Minister for Local Government, Faith, and Communities until her recent resignation, Kemi Badenoch has been MP for Saffron Walden since 2017. Earning 40 votes from her fellow MPs during the first round of voting, Badenoch’s campaign proclaims that ‘it’s the truth that will set us free.’
In an article for the Times, Badenoch criticised ‘identity politics’ and said the country needs ‘an intellectual grasp of what is required to run the country in an era of increased polarisation, protectionism and populism amplified by social media.’
Badenoch has also voiced her support for lower taxes ‘to boost growth and productivity, and accompanied by tight spending discipline.’
Penny Mordaunt
MP for Portsmouth North since 2010 and currently Minister for Trade, Penny Mordaunt was the second most popular candidate with Tory MPs with 83 votes. Her campaign – ‘PM4PM’ – makes comparisons with Margaret Thatcher, writing that Mordaunt, like Thatcher, ‘[has] a vision and a plan.’
Moreover, her campaign has made subtle digs at Boris Johnson’s premiership, with the tagline ‘our leadership needs to be less about the leader and more about the ship.’ During the referendum on EU membership, Mordaunt was one of the leading faces of the Leave campaign – she continues to be a staunch supporter of Brexit, and insists that leaving the EU has brought ‘huge’ benefits for the UK.
Rishi Sunak
The former Chancellor of the Exchequer whose explosive resignation arguably triggered the downfall of Boris Johnson, Sunak has been the MP for Richmond, Yorkshire, since 2015. His campaign, ‘Ready for Rishi’, promises to ‘restore trust, rebuild the economy, and reunite the country.‘
Unlike many of his competitors, Sunak is not promising tax cuts – and has criticised his rivals for making ‘unsustainable’ tax pledges to win the election. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sunak said: ‘I will get taxes down in this parliament, but I’m going to do so responsibly. Because I don’t cut taxes to win elections, I win elections to cut taxes.’
Liz Truss
Widely regarded as a Johnson loyalist, Liz Truss has been the MP for South West Norfolk since 2010, and the Foreign Secretary since 2021. Her ‘Liz for Leader’ campaign is based on ‘delivery, vision, and trust’, and is one of those promising quick tax cuts that came under fire from Rishi Sunak.
However, Truss isn’t shy to make a dig – in explaining her refusal to join the spate of resignations heralded by that of Sunak, Truss asserted that she is ‘a loyal person.’ Her campaign has already gained the support of ‘dogged Johnsonites’ Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries – but Mordaunt’s success in the first round of voting means that Truss may face an upward battle to make it to the final two nominees.
Tom Tugendhat
MP for Tonbridge and Malling since 2015 and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat is now neck and neck with Suella Braverman in order to get through to the next round of voting.
His main policies include plans for ‘green growth’, committing to examining the universal credit taper rate to help ease the cost of living crisis, and increased defence spending. The staunch Remainer told the press that despite not regretting his decision to vote to remain, he would not take the UK back into the EU.
Tugendhat clarified; ‘Once you get your orders, you march on. I work for the people in the United Kingdom […] that is literally the job. I got my orders in June 2016 – and I intend to deliver.’