London (Reuters) – The race to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heated up on Tuesday, with four contenders offering more policies to try to climb to the top two in a divisive leadership contest that is splitting the governing Conservative Party.
Since Johnson said he would resign earlier this month after his scandal-ridden administration lost the support of many Conservatives, the remaining candidates have turned their fire on frontrunner, former finance minister Rishi Sunak.
Four candidates remain, with one to be axed after a vote later on Tuesday. Sunak’s allies say his lead all but assures him of a place in the top two who will then court the party’s membership to be appointed the next prime minister in September.
But foreign secretary Liz Truss is closing the gap with second-placed Penny Mordaunt, a junior trade minister, and the rankings can change as Conservative lawmakers whose candidates have been ousted decide where to place their votes.
Both Sunak, Truss and Mordaunt presented policy offerings to try to add momentum to their campaigns, trying to move the focus away from pledges on tax cuts, at a time when Britain’s flagging economy has left people with the tightest squeeze on their finances for decades.
Sunak, whose resignation as finance minister helped trigger the downfall of Johnson, said he would implement harsher sentences for criminals who fail to attend court and would crackdown on grooming gangs if he became prime minister.
“It will be my top priority in government to keep the British public safe – and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen,” he said in a statement.
Truss, who has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, repeated her commitment to increase defense spending up to 3% of gross domestic product by 2030.
