The race to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has come down to former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Sunak emerged as the contender with the highest number of votes in the UK Conservative Party leadership race, but he believes that he will be going into the final vote as an “underdog”.
“Be in little question, I’m the underdog,” Sunak said in a speech in Grantham, central England, on Saturday according to Reuters.
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“The forces that be need this to be a coronation for the opposite candidate however I believe members desire a selection and they’re ready to hear,” he added.
Sunak led the leadership race in all five rounds and was able to hold his lead over the other contenders. The final vote to pick a successor for Boris Johnson will take place on September 5.
Sunak was one of the first major leaders to step down from their cabinet positions due to their differences with Johnson and that led to a party-wide revolt. It proved too much for Johnson as he was forced to step down from his position despite surviving a no-confidence vote.
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In his campaign, Sunak has mentioned a number of economic reforms that will be implemented if he becomes the Prime Minister. Sunak has promised to lower the taxes and increase budgets for the military along with a cautious administrative approach in improving the struggling economy.
If elected, Sunak can become the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
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