British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has entered the fray to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, bringing to 11 the number of candidates in an increasingly bitter and unpredictable process.
Truss, who has served as head of a number of ministries, including Commerce and Justice, said she would cut taxes and maintain a tough line on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He is seeking to replace Johnson, who was forced to resign on Thursday after a series of scandals. Rules for the election process will be set later today, with the aim of finding a successor by September.
“Under my leadership, I will start cutting taxes from day one to take immediate action to help people with the cost of living,” Truss wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
The battle for a new leader follows one of the most remarkable periods in modern British political history, with more than 50 government officials resigning, renouncing Johnson’s character, integrity and inability to tell the truth.
With many lawmakers unhappy about staying in power until a successor is found, the party is likely to speed up the election process. He may insist that candidates have the support of around 30 MPs to enter the process, before the process to narrow the number of candidates down to two starts this week. Around 200,000 Conservative Party members will then choose the winner after weeks of campaigning across the country.
Former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak initially emerged as the front-runner, which has led his opponents to criticize his economic performance and pledge to cut taxes, even if this leads to an increase in government borrowing. An MP confirmed that a document criticizing Sunak’s performance is being circulated in MP WhatsApp groups.
Nadim Zahawi, who was appointed finance minister in last week’s upheaval, said he was also being vilified by his rivals after questions were raised in the media about the former businessman’s personal finances. “Obviously I’m defaming myself,” he told Sky News today. “I have been informed that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the National Crime Agency, HMRC are investigating me. I don’t know anything about it. I have always declared my taxes and paying my taxes in the UK”.
Meanwhile, Zahawi said he would publish his tax return annually if he becomes leader. “I will publish my tax returns annually. That’s the right thing to do,” he told Sky News.
Candidates include former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, former health and finance secretary Sajid Javid and transport secretary Grant Shapps.
Hunt said today that tax cuts can be made without increasing the national debt. “I want to cut all taxes. The way we’re going to do that is so the economy grows, businesses make more profit by paying more tax,” he told the BBC of his plans to cut business tax. .
A Conservative MP has expressed surprise at the number of people entering the succession race. “I shouldn’t be surprised by the ambitions and delusions of some of my colleagues, but they do,” he said. “I think we will very quickly narrow down the list of candidates.”
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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