After five rounds of voting, the list of hopeful candidates for the next Prime Minister of the UK have been reduced to just two individuals – Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs in the Johnson government. While Sunak received a significant number of the Tory MP votes, recent polls show that Truss is the clear favourite to emerge as the next PM.
The two have until 5 pm on September 2 when voting closes to convince the 180,000 conservative party members to vote for them. But with ballot papers arriving between August 1 and 5, many convinced members will choose to vote early.
For everyone else who remains unconvinced, along with the broader electorate, the two candidates will be going head to head in a series of party meets and broadcast debates which will pit them against each other.
ALSO READ:
London Eye: Rishi Sunak sets out bravely uphill
The first of these high-stakes debates will take place on July 26, at 1.30 am (IST) broadcast on BBC One. With the first debate expected to attract the highest viewership, the event is important for both the candidates to help them secure the necessary votes needed to become the next PM. The next debate between the two is on August 5 at 12.30 am (IST) broadcast on Sky News.
Along with the televised debates, the two candidates will also answer questions from party members and voters as they make their way across the country to 12 Conservative hustings, party meets where voters get to ask questions in person.
These are the dates and locations of the hustings.
July 28 – Leeds
August 1 – Exeter
August 3 – Cardiff
August 5 – Eastbourne
August 9 – Darlington
August 11 – Cheltenham
August 16 – Perth
August 17 – Belfast
August 19 – Manchester
August 23 – Birmingham
August 25 – Norwich
August 31 – London
ALSO READ: Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss in the final race to become UK PM as Penny Mordaunt eliminated in fifth round
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)