Riding a carefully crafted image of competence and confidence since entering the House of Commons in 2015, Rishi Sunak topped the first round of elections to decide the next leader of the ruling Conservative Party on Wednesday. Will take over as Prime Minister. Boris Johnson in September
The 42-year-old Sunak continues to be the bookies’ favorite to win the election. He received 88 votes to top the list of candidates in the first round. The two candidates with the fewest votes – Jeremy Hunt (18) and Nadim Jahavi (25) – dropped out of the race.
Penny Mordaunt, a rapidly rising favorite, received the second most votes – 67. It is widely expected in Westminster that Sunak, who resigned as chancellor last week, will be one of the last two candidates.
The current round of elections, in which the party’s 358 MPs vote, is aimed at deciding the final two candidates. The second round will take place on Thursday. The final two candidates will be decided by July 21 through further rounds to eliminate those who get less votes.
The winner of the final two candidates will be decided by more than 160,000 party members via postal votes, a process that will take place in the coming months, when both candidates will address elections across the country and engage in debates on live television. .
There are now six candidates running for Thursday’s second round of election: Sunak, Liz Truss, Mordaunt, Suella Braverman, Tom Tugendat and Cami Badenoch.
It is the first time in British political history that so many candidates for the post of Prime Minister are from ethnic minorities: Sunak, Braverman, Xahavi and Badenoch. Sajid Javid, who was the first cabinet minister to resign last week, dropped out after failing to garner the support of the mandatory 20 lawmakers before appearing on the ballot for the first round.
Sunak, the son of a medical doctor and pharmacist mother, sheds light on his family’s immigration backstory in his sleek campaign video, which has been widely viewed. As chancellor, he was in the limelight during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering billions in aid to businesses and the self-employed by the economic collapse.
There is an important difference between the stalls set up by Sunak and others. Most of the candidates have promised immediate tax cuts and other relief if they win, while Sunak has burned his credit for being financially responsible by first promising inflation and then lower taxes. “It’s a question of when, if not”, he promised.
Tax cuts are at the top of the agenda mainly due to the rising cost of living that has affected the vast majority of the British public. Energy prices are expected to rise further later this year, adding to the climate of the economic crisis that is also a result of the effects of Brexit: low exports, severe workforce shortages and new supply chain disruptions.
Mordant, who was the most feared candidate for the opposition Labor Party, said on Wednesday that he was confident of leading the party to another victory in the next election to be held in 2024. His experience in the Royal Navy and holding several ministerial roles is expected to go in his favor in government.
But Team Rishi insists that they are not taking anything lightly. Sunak must finish his act, given that he is less popular among party rank and file than Mordant or Truss.
Between Mordant and Truss, there is less negativity attached to the former outgoing prime minister, Johnson, while Truss is seen as a candidate supported by Johnson (he has so far refused to publicly back any candidates). given, on the grounds that they did not want to damage their chances).
Sunak hopes to find new supporters, but will face a formidable opponent in either Mordaunt or Truss. A new opinion poll of Conservative members (who will have the final vote) shows that Mordent tops the charts, far ahead of Sunak, and will easily win if she makes the list of the last two candidates.
Whether Sunak ultimately wins the election and becomes the first non-white prime minister in British history remains to be seen, but it is a rare political moment of increasing diversity at the top of the table in a country grappling with its unified past of slavery. . Racism and colonialism.
It is a reflection of the mainstreaming of non-white leaders in recent years that Sunak is considered one of the leading contenders for the next prime minister. He still has many hoops to cross, but if he wins the most votes from members of the Conservative Party, it will take Britain to another height with multiculturalism.
This mainstreaming of diversity in British politics is cause for some celebration, but it has taken a long time to achieve this status. Progress was slow for much of the 20th century. The first three Indian/Asian MPs elected to the House of Commons were Parsis: Dadabhai Naoroji (elected in 1892, Finsbury Central), Mancharji Bhaunagari (1895, Bethnal Green North-East) and Shapoorji Saklatwala (1922, Battersea North).
After Saqlatwala’s defeat in 1929, there was a long hiatus: it was in 1987 that the next ethnic minority MPs entered parliament: Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), Paul Boateng (Brent South), Bernie Grant (Tottenham). and Keith Vaz (Leicester East), all representing Labour. Since then, the number of non-white MPs has increased in each general election, especially since 2010: 1987 (4 MPs), 1992 (6), 1997 (9), 2001 (12), 2005 (15) , 2010 (27), 2015 (41), 2017 (52) and 2019 (65).
Since ethnic minorities comprise more than 14 percent of the United Kingdom’s population, experts agree that if the ethnic composition of the House of Commons reflects the population, about 100 MPs from minority backgrounds would be needed. But Section 65 in the current House of Commons represents a milestone not only for diversity in politics but for initiatives by the three main parties to encourage non-white representation.
(Prasoon Sonwalkar is a London-based journalist)
Also read: | Five obstacles in front of Rishi Sunak in the race for the post of British PM
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