Even as candidates narrow down to four, Rishi Sunak continues to lead the race to succeed Boris Johnson as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. In the third and latest round of voting, Sunak won the highest number of votes at 115, followed by Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt with 82 votes. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss won 71 votes, and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch stands at 58 votes.
Although the top four candidates have not changed, it is interesting to know that while Sunak has more votes in this round, Mordaunt votes have declined. In the second round, Sunak had won 101 votes, and Mordaunt had 83 votes. This way, Sunak has managed to increase the gap between first and second rank by 33 votes, whereas in the previous round it was just 18 votes.
Nevertheless, it is not going to be easy for whoever wins, as with the position of the prime minister he or she would be facing numerous challenges. Some of the problems that the new prime minister will have to tackle include low confidence among locals regarding the government as well as high inflation. It will be important for him or her to gain trust of the citizens and also repair and maintain international relations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson July 7 announced his decision to resign, following a series of scandals and a no-confidence motion. He will be staying on as prime minister until his successor is declared on September 5.
