Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have been named the two final contenders in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The two emerged from a fifth round of voting among Conservative members of parliament on Wednesday, during which Penny Morduant, who was a favourite among surveyed voters in the beginning of the race, was voted out for receiving the least support in this round.
IT WAS A VERY CLOSE RACE
While Mordaunt was struck out after receiving 105 votes, Truss was able to proceed to the final election having received 113 votes – a narrow 8-vote margin between the two.
Only one day prior, Morduant had been in second place and Truss in third, having received 92 and 86 votes respectively in the 4th round of voting.
Meanwhile, Sunak maintained his lead in the election with 137 votes, after receiving 118 votes in the 4th round.
WHAT NEXT?
A final vote among Conservative party members will take place in the coming weeks, and the new UK Prime Minister will be announced by September 5th.
The coming weeks will provide a stage for Truss and Sunak to undergo a series of campaign activities across the country, and field questions from the voting population about their intentions with leadership and policy positions.
During that time, outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson will remain caretaker.
Johnson was forced to step down from the leadership of the Conservative Party on July 7th, amid internal and external backlash on scandals surrounding his leadership and a mass resignation within his Cabinet.