Eight candidates are now in the race to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK). The top eight candidates are Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, and Nadhim Zahawi. All of them received the support of 20 MPs, the threshold required to enter the race.
They will now compete in the first round of voting scheduled to take place on Wednesday. Three contenders, Sajid Javid, Rehman Chishti and Grant Shapps, dropped out of the race. The new UK PM will be announced on September 5. The winner will become the new Tory leader.
The elections were announced after
Boris Johnson announced his resignation as the prime minister and leader of the UK Conservative Party earlier this month. His resignation came after he lost support over a string of scandals including the
Partygate scandal and the Pincher scandal. He will serve as the PM until a successor is chosen.
Till then, here's a look at the social media campaign and agenda of the eight contestants in the fray for the
UK prime ministerial post:
1. Penny Mordaunt:
She emerged winner in a survey published by ConservativeHome, that looked at how Conservative party members would vote for all the candidates in one-to-one contests, a report said. "#PM4PM" is the social media hashtag her supporters have been using to show solidarity with her. Revealing her campaign pitch for this election, she wrote, "As PM, my top priority will be to drive growth and competition, building an economy for the modern world." Her comments were published in The Telegraph.
2. Rishi Sunak: Sunak, an Indian-origin former British minister has become a frontrunner in the race to become the country's president. He launched a campaign "#Ready4Rishi" on social media. He said he aims to "restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country". As the UK's prime minister, he said he will protect women’s rights."If I become Prime Minister, I will protect women’s rights and ensure women and girls enjoy the same freedom most males take for granted in feeling safe from assault and abuse," he tweeted.
3. Kemi Badenoch: She launched an online campaign seeking support for her candidature. "I'm putting myself forward in this leadership election because I want to tell the truth. It’s the truth that will set us free," she writes on the website.
In her comments published in The Times, she batted for "strong but limited government focused in the essentials..." She added, "We must strengthen our democratic culture at a time when democratic values are under assault from without and within." She also wrote about free speech and free markets.
4. Suella Braverman: People on social media extend their support for her by using the hashtag: #Suella4Leader. In a video posted on Twitter, she spoke about tax cuts, "reforming our public services and aim to "fulfil the promise of the Brexit". She said in an interview: "A government I lead will safeguard Brexit, take on the Blairite liberal consensus and get this country back on track."
5. Jeremy Hunt: In the fray for the prime ministerial polls, Hunt launched a social media campaign #winbacktrust. His agenda as the prime minister is "to boost defence spending and reverse the planned army cuts". He said, "We need to get real about the long-term threats to our security and prosperity." He also aims to "replicate Ireland’s ‘Celtic tiger’ with bold business tax cuts that unleash the growth that’s been missing from our economy for too long".
6. Liz Truss: Like Rishi Sunak, she has also changed her account name on Twitter. As she prepares for the PM's bid, she has changed her Twitter handle to "Liz for Leader". If she wins the poll, she said she also wants to cut taxes in the country from day one of taking over the office. "...as Prime Minister, I will continue to deliver on the opportunities of the Brexit," she said in a video post.
7. Tom Tugendhat: #ACleanStart is Tugendhat's poll campaign on social media. In a video announcing his candidature, he said, "We need leadership that returns government to service of our economy, our people and our country. We need a clean start." As UK's prime minister, Tom said he would cut fuel duty, reverse the rise in national insurance and reform old EU regulations.
8. Nadhim Zahawi: "NZ4PM" is his hashtag for his social media campaign. He said his plan as the prime minister is "to get Britain back on track". As UK's prime minister, Zahawi said he would cut taxes to reduce the cost of living, lower energy bills, increase defence spending and curb crime.
(Edited by : Akriti Anand)
First Published: Jul 13, 2022 2:53 PM IST
