Election Series Begins Tomorrow, New British PM Will Be Announced September 5: Tax Cuts Become Favorite Agenda, Any Strong Candidates?

The official residence of the Prime Minister of the UK Office at 10 Downing Street, London. (Wikimedia Commons/Suzanne LaGasa)

JAKARTA - At least 11 candidates for the leader of the Conservative Party and Britain's Prime Minister are so far preparing to compete ahead of the first round of voting to begin this week to find a replacement for the outgoing Boris Johnson.

The 1922 Conservative MPs committee that organizes the leadership contest said candidates would need at least 20 nominations from the party's 358 lawmakers to proceed to the first round of voting on Wednesday.

Anyone who later receives fewer than 30 votes will be eliminated before another vote follows on Thursday. Almost all competitors have promised broad tax cuts to win the support of their peers. Read more

"I really want us to get this done as smoothly, cleanly, and quickly as possible," said Graham Brady, chairman of the committee.

The field will be whittled down to the last two candidates by lawmakers, before voting for postal Conservative Party members, who number less than 200,000, takes place over the summer.

Meanwhile, a poll for the Conservative House website on Monday found former defense secretary Penny Mordaunt was the most popular among members, followed by equality minister Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak, whose resignation as finance minister helped topple Johnson.

"It looks like there's a pretty big field right now, a lively contest," said Brady.

Illustration of the British Parliament. (Wikimedia Commons/UK government)

"I hope we will have a very constructive contest, but (also) a very good opportunity for a proper, healthy, and constructive debate about the future direction of the Conservative Party," he said.

The battle for the top job comes after one of the most chaotic periods in modern British political history, when more than 50 ministers and government aides quit, denouncing Johnson's character, integrity and inability to tell the truth.

The new leader must also reverse evaporating support for the Conservatives. A survey by Savanta ComRes on Monday put the opposition Labor Party at 43 percent compared with 28 percent for the Conservatives, leading the polls' biggest since 2013.

Meanwhile, the issue of tax cuts is fast becoming a major battleground in the competition with nearly all candidates pledging to cut business or personal taxes.

Setting the tone, Secretary of State Liz Truss, who has held ministerial jobs in a number of government departments including trade, justice, and the treasury, said she would reverse a recent rise in National Insurance contributions and signaled a corporate tax cut.

Other nominees Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid have both pledged to cut corporate taxes, while Mordaunt has pledged to cut fuel duties.

As for Sunak, despite being the front-runner, he is the only candidate to play down the prospect of an imminent tax cut, saying that adopting an "entertaining fairy tale" will make future generations worse off.

This has prompted its rivals to attack its record economy after the tax burden rose to its highest level since the 1950s. A lawmaker confirmed that files criticizing Sunak's notes had circulated on the MPs' WhatsApp group.

Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed finance minister in the turmoil last week, said he had also been targeted by rivals after media reports raised questions about the former businessman's personal finances and tax records.

Whoever wins the leadership race will face daunting odds.

The UK economy is facing skyrocketing inflation, high debt, and low growth, with people facing the tightest pressure on their finances in decades, all set against a backdrop of an energy crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine that has sent fuel prices soared.

It is known, Boris Johnson himself has so far refused to support any of the outstanding candidates as his successor.

Conservative Party Leader and British PM Candidate 

1. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
2. Former Equality Minister Kemi Badenoch
3. Attorney General Suella Braverman
4. Newly appointed Foreign Minister Rehman Chishti
5. Former Health Minister Jeremy Hunt
6. Former Health Minister Sajid Javid
7. Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt
8. Transport Minister Grant Shapps
9. Former Minister Finance Rishi Sunak
10. Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat
11. Former Minister of Education and Minister of Finance Nadhim Zahawi