Britain’s Conservative Party has chosen former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as the two finalists in a party election to replace departing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Who is Rishi Sunak? Sunak steered Britain’s economy through the pandemic before quitting Johnson’s government this month. At 42, Sunak would be the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years and the country’s first South Asian leader.
Who is Liz Truss? Truss has led the U.K.’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has taken a tough line against Russian President Vladimir Putin — and with the European Union — and is a favorite of the Conservatives’ right wing.
What happened to Boris Johnson? Johnson stepped down July 7 after one scandal too many — appointing a politician accused of sexual misconduct — drove his ministers to resign en masse. Johnson allies have been accused of lobbying against Sunak, whose resignation helped bring the prime minister down, and in favor of Truss, who remained loyal.
What’s next? The two contenders will spend the next few weeks campaigning for the votes of about 180,000 Conservative Party members around the country, who will vote by postal or online ballot. The winner of the party leadership vote will be announced Sept. 5 and will automatically become Britain’s next prime minister.
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