Sunak tops first round of vote to elect new UK Tory leader
Friday, 15 July 2022
LONDON, July 14 (AFP): Former finance minister Rishi Sunak led the field of Conservative MPs bidding to become Britain's next prime minister in the first ballot of Tory lawmakers Wednesday, as the race narrowed to six with the elimination of two candidates.
Early frontrunner Sunak-who quit as finance minister last week, helping to trigger outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's downfall-topped the contest with 88 votes, followed by former defence minister Penny Mordaunt, on 67.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss finished third, winning the support of 50 of the 357 Conservative lawmakers who voted.
The remaining candidates to meet Wednesday's minimum 30-vote threshold were former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, on 40, backbencher Tom Tugendhat, on 37, and Attorney General Suella Braverman, who scraped through with 32 votes.