British television channel Sky News canceled a debate between candidates for the post of leader of the Conservative Party and the prime minister of the United Kingdom after two participants refused to take part in them. The channel announced this on Monday.
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According to him, former Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak and Foreign Minister Liz Truss refused to come to the studio. According to Sky News, Conservative MPs are concerned that such debates are hurting the ruling party by demonstrating divisions on key issues.
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To date, there are five participants in the election race. In addition to Sunak and Truss, these are British Undersecretary of Commerce Penny Mordaunt, Tom Tugendhat, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament, and MP Kemi Baidnock. Sunak (101 votes) has the highest support among party members, followed by Mordaunt (83) and Truss (64). On Monday, the third round of voting will take place, as a result of which the candidate with the least support of his colleagues in the faction will be excluded from the campaign.
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The screening of candidates must be completed before July 21, when the parliament goes on summer vacation. After that, only two applicants should remain on the lists, whose fate will no longer be determined by the deputies of the House of Commons, but by 160,000 members of the Conservative Party.
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The victory in the struggle for the post of leader of the Conservatives automatically gives its holder the post of head of government, since the Conservatives are the ruling party.
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The name of the winner, who will replace Boris Johnson, is to be announced on September 5th.
