Page 3 - Conservative Party

UK takes stock of Johnson's legacy as Conservatives prepare to evict PM

The moving vans have already started arriving at Downing Street as Britain's Conservative Party prepares to evict Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The debate over what mark he left on his party, his country and the world will linger long after he departs in September if, indeed, he really is gone for good. Johnson led Britain out of the European Union and won a landslide election victory before his government collapsed in a heap of ethics scandals. During his final appearance in Parliament as prime minister in July, he summed up his three years in office as: Mission largely accomplished. Many political historians take a harsher view. Winston Churchill said that History will be kind to me for I intend to write it,' said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. I'm pretty sure Johnson does too, but I doubt he'll find it's as kind to him as it was to his hero. Johnson cultivated a buffoonish public image, but he has had a serious impact on his country. He bea

Underdogs don't give up, says Rishi Sunak's new campaign video for UK PM

Two weeks before the UK's Conservative Party leadership election is set to draw to a close, finalist Rishi Sunak's team are promoting a new campaign video cashing in on his "underdog" status with rival Liz Truss' firm lead in the race to succeed Boris Johnson. The video, first used to introduce Sunak at a hustings event in Manchester on Friday night, shows the former Chancellor at a series of campaign events since the race began last month and addressing Tory members who are voting for a new party leader to take charge as British Prime Minister on September 5. "I'll keep fighting for every vote until the final day," Sunak tweeted with the video, which counts down 100 events in 30 days to reach 16,000 party members on the campaign trail. The video shows the 42-year-old British Indian former minister interacting with voters and is also seen catching a quick power nap on a bench as a voiceover praises his efforts to "fight for every inch". "They say beware the underdog, because an ...

Rishi Sunak pledges major civil service overhaul if elected UK PM

Rishi Sunak, the British Indian former Chancellor in the race to be elected the British Prime Minister, on Tuesday pledged a major overhaul of the country's civil service to create a sharper, leaner bureaucracy if he takes charge at 10 Downing Street on September 5. Sunak, who is up against Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the Conservative Party leadership election to succeed Boris Johnson, wants civil servants to spend at least a year of their career outside government roles in industry to widen their experience. Under a Sunak-led government, they will no longer receive pay rewards based on the longevity of their service but performance instead. As Chancellor, I saw parts of the British Civil Service at its best, delivering world class COVID support schemes in record time. But the bloated post-COVID state is in need of a shake up so I will create a sharper, leaner civil service, said Sunak. I'll press ahead with cuts to back office Civil Service headcount, recruiting and retaining t

Liz Truss holds firm lead over Rishi Sunak in UK PM race: Tory survey

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is holding on to a firm lead over former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the race to be elected Conservative Party leader and British Prime Minister, according to a new survey of Tory voters on Wednesday. The Conservative Home website survey of 961 party members, who either already have or will be casting their postal or online ballots in the leadership election, found Truss at 60 per cent and Sunak at 28 per cent. Once the 9 per cent who fall under the "don't know" category are equally distributed between the two finalists in the contest, Truss maintains a 32-point lead over the British Indian ex-minister as the website's last survey found earlier this month. "If our don't knows are divided evenly between the two candidates, an exercise we carried out last time, Truss goes up to 64 per cent and Sunak to 32 per cent and so maintains the 32 point lead she had last time round, Conservative Home said in an analysis of its latest findings. "The sum of Opinium, ..

'Unsurprisingly, Boris Johnson has not returned my calls': Rishi Sunak

That's one of those Westminster questions that doesn't change price of fish. There are plenty of things that do change price of fish, not least price of energy, but that's not one of them, said Boris

Rishi Sunak promises more support in UK energy crisis if elected as UK PM

The 42-year-old Indian-origin finalist in the Conservative Party leadership election pledged government "efficiency savings" to fund the support, while limiting borrowing.

UK PM race: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss feel heat over cost-of-living crisis

While Truss has pledged immediate tax cuts if elected, Sunak has promised more targeted support for the most vulnerable households and tax cuts further down the line.

Liz Truss gets 34-point lead in latest opinion poll of Conservative members

Truss and Sunak will face the Tory faithful Wednesday night amid strong signs that the party has already made up its mind who it wants to become its next leader and prime minister, Daily Mail reported

Rishi Sunak closing gap on rival Liz Truss in UK PM race, shows survey

It is in sharp contrast to a YouGov survey carried out at the end of the knockout stages last month, which suggested that Truss had a 24-point lead over the 42-year-old British Indian former minister.

UK PM: Racism not a factor in Tory membership's decision, says Sunak

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak dismissed factors such as gender or ethnicity would play a part in Tory members' postal ballots from next week.

Johnson loyalist retweets 'dangerous' image of Rishi Sunak, gets criticised

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries re-posted a tweet on her social media account showing an image of Johnson dressed as Roman leader Julius Caesar and Sunak stabbing him in the back

Bookie odds, Tory voters favour Liz Truss over Rishi Sunak in UK PM race

The odds in favour of a Truss victory have risen sharply after the debate, with some bookies offering as much as 1/4 odds.

UK: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss neck and neck after first TV debate clash

A snap Opinium poll of who performed best in the BBC debate on Monday night found Sunak just slightly ahead at 39 per cent, compared to Truss at 38 per cent.

Rishi Sunak vs Liz Truss: UK PM race gets fierce with personal attacks

Ahead of a key head-on televised BBC debate between the two finalists former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Monday night, the tone of the contest has been getting fierce

To woo Tory right, Rishi Sunak says will send illegal migrants to Rwanda

Vows to withhold aid money if countries refuse to take back failed asylum seekers, criminals

Rishi Sunak pledges to put UK on crisis footing' if elected as British PM

The 42-year-old former Chancellor told The Times' in an interview that a business-as-usual approach would not work in the face of the serious economic challenges facing the country.

Rishi Sunak tops new vote to edge closer to final spot in UK PM race

The British Indian former Chancellor received 118 votes in the fourth round of voting by his party colleagues

Johnson chairs last Cabinet meeting as UK PM amid election of new leader

Johnson, 58, defended his government's record and commitment to tackling climate change as he addressed the ongoing heat wave.

Voters believe Rishi Sunak will make good PM, UK opinion poll finds

Almost half of the voters for the UK's governing Conservative Party believe Rishi Sunak will make a good Prime Minister, according to the results of a new opinion poll on Sunday. The Sunday Telegraph' reports that the JL Partners poll of more than 4,400 people found that 48 per cent of those who backed the Tories in the 2019 general election felt the British Indian former Chancellor would be a good Prime Minister. This is also the first poll that puts Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in second place, with 39 per cent backing her for Prime Minister and 33 per cent in favour of Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt. The survey comes as the race to elect Boris Johnson's successor as the next Conservative Party leader is narrowing down to these three main contenders, with former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch and Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Tom Tugendhat in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Among those who have heard of Mordaunt, the overwhelming view is one of neutrality, .

Rishi Sunak tops second round of voting in UK leadership contest

There are now five candidates left in the Tory leadership contest after Suella Braverman, the Indian-origin Attorney General in the fray, was knocked off the shortlist with the least votes at 27