London: The race to replace Boris Johnson as the Conservative Party leader and the British Prime Minister closed on Friday evening, the deadline for Tory members to register their choice between Indian-origin former Chancellor Rishi Sunak or Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
Sunak, 42, and Truss, 47, have gone head-to-head in a dozen hustings up and down the UK over the past month to win over the votes of an estimated 160,000 Tory electorate.
With the ballots now closed, the result will be declared at 12.30 pm local time on Monday by returning officer Sir Graham Brady, the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) reportedly said.
“This hustings program has shown the strength of our party across the UK, with sold-out events filling Wembley Arena to Perth Concert Hall,” said Conservative Party Chairman Andrew Stephenson.
“I’d like to thank Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss for participating in what, at times, must have been a grueling schedule in good spirits and allowing our members to question them up front and personal, answering over 600 questions and putting themselves under the spotlight. Whatever the result come Monday, I know our party is ready to unite around a new Leader and tackle the challenges we face as a country ahead,” he said.
The CCHQ said 19,859 attended the 12 hustings events and 2.2 million people viewed them across online platforms.
While the British Indian former minister pegged his campaign on getting a grip on soaring inflation as an immediate priority, the foreign minister has pledged tax cuts from day one in office.
Overall, it is how they plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis faced by the British public that has dominated the debates even as the duo addressed their final hustings in London on Wednesday night, where they reiterated many of their pledges.
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