Who will be the next UK prime minister?

The race to choose the next leader of the Conservative Party, and Britain's next prime minister is well underway.

After Boris Johnson’s colleagues had pushed him out following a string of scandals, 11 MPs declared their ambition to succeed him. Ballots of Conservative MPs have whittled them down to two contenders: Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.

This pair will battle it out over the course of August for the support of Tory party members, who get the final say. The identity of Britain’s next leader will be revealed on September 5th.

Mr. Sunak and Ms. Truss reached the last round of the contest after a series of votes by Tory MPs reduced the field of contenders from eight to two.

The former chancellor had been in the lead in every round of voting and ended with 137 votes in the fifth and final ballot, but Ms. Truss overtook Penny Mordaunt only in the final round to secure second place with 113 votes.

More than 160,000 party members around the country will now vote by mail to decide which of these two will serve as the UK’s next prime minister, at least until the next national election. The result of the vote won’t be known until September 5. The winner of this party leadership contest will immediately become the new prime minister of the UK. 

Who is Liz Truss? 
Liz Truss is a political veteran who has served as both post-Brexit international trade secretary and foreign minister. She has “campaigned openly as the Continuity Johnson candidate,” according to Eurasia Group’s top Europe analyst Mij Rahman. Her country-first nationalism suggests she’d drive a hard bargain with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol issue, for example.

That’s why, Rahman says, Truss is “the candidate the EU least wants to win.” Like most of the rivals she’s overcome to reach this point, Truss has also called for tax cuts to stimulate the UK economy.

What do her supporters say?

She’s “Boris without the baggage,” a talented true conservative untainted by the scandals that sank outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

What do her critics say?

She’s a politician without principle. During the 2016 referendum for the UK to remain within the EU, she warned that Brexit meant “more rules, more forms, and more delays when selling to the EU.” Then the opportunity to serve in Johnson’s government persuaded her to become a hardline Brexiteer.

Who is Rishi Sunak? 

Sunak is best known for serving as chancellor of the Exchequer, Britain’s chief financial officer, during the pandemic. He directed heavy spending to help struggling individuals and businesses and to boost the UK’s flagging economy. Sunak is the eldest son of Indian immigrants and a symbol for many of a modern, multi-racial Britain.

What do his supporters say? 

Sunak’s reputation as a capable technocrat makes him more likely to win a national election by winning over moderate voters made uncomfortable by the Conservative Party’s lurch to the nationalist right in recent years. His principled stand that tax cuts should be delayed until the UK is on firm economic footing demonstrates that he puts the country first.

What do his critics say?

Sunak is a backstabber and political opportunist. Though fined for involvement in Johnson’s lockdown scandals, he was among the first to signal no-confidence in Johnson’s government by resigning his post when he thought it would boost his chances of becoming prime minister.

Who will choose the winner?

The final two candidates will be trying to convince party members to back them at hustings events around the country between 28 July and 31 August and in two televised debates - on the BBC on 25 July and Sky News on 4 August. The ballot will close at 17:00 BST on 2 September with the winner due to be announced on 5 September.

The Conservative Party has not revealed exactly how many people are eligible to vote in the final stage of the contest but it is more than 160,000, or about 0.3% of the total UK electorate.