[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] On the eve of the deadline for candidates for the next UK Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, it has been reported that the leading candidates, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, failed to reach an agreement to unify their candidacies. As a result, it is increasingly likely that the outcome will be decided after the party member vote on the 28th.
According to The Times in the UK on the 23rd (local time), Johnson and Sunak reportedly failed to reach a unification agreement during a meeting the previous evening. The Times reported that Johnson emphasized to his supporters that he is the only candidate democratically mandated, highlighting his leadership in winning the 2019 general election and gaining recognition from voters nationwide.
Sunak also declared his candidacy that morning, increasing the likelihood of a contest between the two candidates. Sunak tweeted, "The UK is a great country but is facing a serious economic crisis. That is why I am running." Penny Mordaunt, the party’s parliamentary leader who is far behind the two candidates, was the first to declare her candidacy and also expressed her intention to complete the race.
According to The Times’ tally, 129 MPs have publicly endorsed Sunak so far. He was the first to surpass the registration threshold of 100 MPs and leads significantly over Johnson (56) and Mordaunt (23). Johnson’s camp claims to have the support of over 100 MPs, but Sunak’s side has raised doubts about this.
The deadline for registering as a prime ministerial candidate is 2 p.m. on the 24th. Since there are 357 Conservative MPs and a candidate must have the support of at least 100 MPs to register, there can be up to three candidates.
Afterward, the candidates will campaign on TV broadcasts, and all Conservative party members will elect the next prime minister through an online vote. The party member vote closes at 11 a.m. on the 28th, and the next prime minister will be decided based on this vote.
If there are three candidates, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated in the first round of voting on the 24th afternoon, narrowing the field to two candidates. The second round will determine the ranking between the two remaining candidates. The results of the second round will be announced at 9 p.m. The subsequent procedures remain the same. Johnson and Sunak are expected to be neck and neck in the party member vote.
A survey conducted by The Telegraph and Savanta ComRes of 241 Conservative MPs showed support rates of 48% for Sunak and 45% for Johnson. Although Sunak holds a slight lead, the actual voting outcome remains difficult to predict.
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