London: Britain’s new prime minister will be announced on 5 September, with the first vote beginning this week to eliminate candidates in a crowded and increasingly unpredictable and divisive competition to replace Boris Johnson. So far, 11 candidates have thrown their hats on to succeed Johnson as leader of the ruling Conservative Party and as prime minister, having stepped down following a series of scandals followed by a dramatic revolt by his own lawmakers and ministers.
The 1922 Committee of Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) that organized the leadership contest said candidates would need at least 20 nominations from the party’s 358 MPs to proceed to the first round of votes on Wednesday. Anyone receiving less than 30 votes will be removed before another vote on Thursday. Almost all the claimants have promised extensive tax cuts to garner the support of their allies.
“I’m very keen that we get this done as simply, as cleanly and as quickly as possible,” said committee chairman Graham Brady. Before the postal ballots of Conservative Party members, who number less than 200,000 in the summer, the field will be narrowed down by lawmakers to the final two candidates.
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A poll on Monday for the Conservative Home website found that former Defense Minister Penny Mordent was most popular with members, followed by Equality Minister Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak, whose resignations as finance minister helped bring down Johnson. Of. “It looks like it’s a pretty big field at the moment, a lively competition,” Brady said. “I hope we will have a very constructive contest, but (also) a really good opportunity for a fair, healthy, constructive debate about the future direction of the Conservative Party.”
The fight to secure the top job comes after one of the most tumultuous periods in modern British political history, when more than 50 government ministers and aides denounced Johnson’s character, integrity and inability to tell the truth. left the post.
The new leader must also reverse the vaporized support for conservatives. A survey by Savanta Comeres on Monday put the opposition Labor Party at 43% compared to 28% for the Conservatives, its biggest electoral lead since 2013. Succession competition has already become personal.
Former finance minister Sajid Javid, one of the candidates, criticized the “poisonous gossip” and “attack memos” given by some aides over the weekend. “It’s not ‘House of Cards’ or ‘Game of Thrones,’ and people who are here just because they enjoy the game are in the wrong place,” he said. “It’s time to pull together, not separate.”
tax deduction
The issue of tax cuts was fast becoming the central battle, with almost all candidates promising cuts in business or personal taxes. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who has held ministerial positions in several government departments including trade, justice and the treasury, set up her pitch, saying she would reverse the recent increase in national insurance contributions and indicate a cut in corporation tax .
Fellow claimants Jeremy Hunt and Javid both promised to cut corporation tax, while Mordant promised to cut fuel charges. Sunak is an early front runner, but he’s the only candidate to play down the prospect of an impending tax cut, saying that the adoption of “cozy fairy tales” will make future generations worse.
This has prompted his rivals to attack his economic record after the tax burden rose to the highest level since the 1950s. An MP confirmed that a dossier criticizing Sunak’s record was circulating on the MP’s WhatsApp groups.
‘Fantasy Economics’
Nadim Jahvi, who was appointed finance minister in last week’s turmoil, said he was also being targeted by rivals after media reports raised questions about the former businessman’s personal finances and tax records. Whoever wins the race for the leadership will face a tough in-tray.
Britain’s economy is facing heavy inflation, high debt and low growth, with people facing the most pressure on their finances in decades, set against a backdrop of energy shortages from the war in Ukraine, Which has increased fuel prices.
On the issue of immigration, all major leadership candidates have pledged to uphold the government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, showing how the party has moved across the political spectrum in recent years.
Other candidates include Attorney General Suella Braverman, Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Tom Tugendhat and Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps.
Labor leader Keir Starmer took aim at an “arms race of fantasy economics” from Conservative leadership candidates in a speech, claiming they did not meet more than 200 billion pounds ($239 billion) of commitments over the weekend went. Johnson has refused to endorse any candidate.
Rishi Sunak pledges to tackle inflation in pitch to become UK PM
Former finance minister Rishi Sunak will set his stall on becoming Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday, vowing to tackle rising inflation before joining his Conservative Party rivals in promising tax cuts. Sunak stepped down as finance minister last week, predicting the fall of Boris Johnson, who said days later he would step down amid widespread rebellion by Conservative lawmakers.
“We need a return to traditional conservative economic values – and that means honesty and responsibility, not fairy tales,” according to his team at the frenzied launch of his campaign, a jibe at rivals who demanded immediate big cuts. Promised, expected for business or personal taxes.
Sunak, who oversaw the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and provided nearly 400 billion pounds ($481 billion) in economic aid, is one of the favorites to replace Johnson and among Conservative lawmakers The biggest support is those who have publicly stated their choice.
According to his team, Sunak would promise to cut taxes once inflation, which hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in May, was brought under control. Sunak would say, “When I was chancellor, I had to make some of the most difficult choices in my life, especially how to deal with our debts and borrowings.”
“My message to the party and the country is simple: I have a plan to steer my country through these adversity. Once we catch inflation, I will reduce the tax burden. It’s the ‘when’ It is a question of ‘if’ not of ‘.”
While the craze’s popularity with the public grew during the pandemic, after some Conservative lawmakers raised payroll taxes to fund higher health and social care spending in April, and announced plans to sharply increase the corporation tax in 2023 .
His situation also took a hit after it was revealed that his wife, the Indian daughter of one of the founders of IT giant Infosys, was not paying British tax on her foreign income by using “non-domicile” status, which is foreign. available to citizens. He does not consider Britain as his permanent home. She later said she would start paying British tax on her global income.