Rishi Sunak, an Indian-origin candidate who has emerged as a strong face in the United Kingdom Prime Ministerial race, has won the fourth round of voting by his Conservative Party colleagues, moving him closer to victory in the race.
Sunak is expected to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, succeeding party leader Boris Johnson, who resigned from the position. Tory MPs will vote for the final time on Wednesday to determine which two candidates will advance to a run-off vote among party members.
Sunak, the British Indian former Chancellor, received 118 votes from his party colleagues in the fourth round of voting on Tuesday, falling just short of the 120-vote threshold – or one-third of Conservative Party MPs – required to confirm his place as one of the final contenders in the race to replace Boris Johnson.
The 42-year-old political leader won the fourth round of voting, increasing his tally from Monday’s 115 votes, while Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt received 92 votes and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss received 86 votes, leaving the race for second place open.
Following the Conservative Party’s recent voting round, only three candidates remain in the running for UK Prime Minister: Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, and Liz Truss. Kemi Badenoch was eliminated from the race a few days ago, leaving Mordaunt and Tuss to battle for second place.
The final two candidates will be determined following a fifth round of voting on Wednesday, after which the race will be taken over by the Conservative Party headquarters to organise hustings across the country.
The focus will then shift to persuading the Tory party’s membership base, estimated at around 160,000 voters, to vote for one of the two remaining candidates. According to the official administration, the votes for the UK PM elections 2022 will be counted at the end of August, and the name will be announced on September 5.