Winning The Fourth Round Of Elections For UK PM Candidates, Rishi Sunak Prioritizes Law And Security

Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt. (Wikimedia Commons/Chris McAndrew)

JAKARTA - Former British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has again shown his lead in voting to replace Boris Johnson as chairman of the Conservative Party and British Prime Minister.

In yesterday's fourth round of voting, Sunak won 118 votes, ahead of the favorite candidates for Trade Minister Junior Penny Mordaunt (92 votes) and Foreign Minister Liz Truss (86 votes). Meanwhile, former Minister of Equality Kemi Badenoch who only won 59 votes was eliminated.

MPs will eliminate another one before the 200,000 members of the governing party elect their new leader, who will automatically become prime minister.

Unlike in 2019, when Johnson was the clear favorite to run, the outcome is more difficult to predict, with party member polls suggesting Sunak will lose to whoever is elected to face him.

Since Johnson said he would step down earlier this month after his scandal-plagued government lost the support of many Conservatives, the race to replace him has only gotten worse with rivals trading thorns and challenging records.

Mordaunt only held on to second place and thanked his team-mates for their support.

"We are close to the finish line. I am so excited to go and excited to take my case to members across the country and win," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Truss said it was time for the party to unite behind a candidate who would govern in a Conservative fashion, who has shown he can give time and again.

Sunak, Truss and Mordaunt have made policy deals to add momentum to their campaigns, trying to shift focus away from promised tax cuts, at a time when Britain's sluggish economy has left people with the tightest pressure on their finances for decades.

Sunak, whose resignation as finance secretary helped trigger Johnson's downfall, said he would apply tougher penalties to criminals who fail to attend court, as well as crack down on gangs who play girls and young women into sex.

"It will be my top priority in government to keep the British public safe, and I will do whatever it takes to make it happen," Sunak said in a statement.