LONDON: UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss cemented her place as front-runner in the race to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson, winning endorsement Saturday from an influential former rival for the top job.
Tom Tugendhat, who was eliminated from the contest in earlier rounds of voting by Conservative lawmakers, said Truss had the “resolution, determination, and passion” to be prime minister.
The endorsement is a blow to ex-Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, the other finalist in the race for the next Conservative leader. The winner will be decided by votes from about 180,000 party members across the country.
Polls give Truss an edge with Tory members, though Sunak is more popular with the general public, who don’t have a say in the race. The winner will be announced Sept. 5 and will automatically become prime minister, replacing Johnson, who stepped down as Conservative leader this month after three years in office following months of ethics scandals.
Tugendhat, a prominent figure from the party’s centrist “One Nation” group, wrote in the Times of London newspaper that Truss had “the foreign-affairs experience to build alliances and keep our country safe.”
Truss also secured backing this week from Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who is highly regarded by party members for his handling of Britain’s response to the war in Ukraine. Wallace said Truss’s international experience as Britain’s top diplomat and commitment to increased military spending gave her “the edge.”
Sunak, who was the favorite candidate among Tory lawmakers who whittled down the field of candidates from an initial 11 contenders, is struggling to gain momentum. He has accused Truss of peddling unrealistic promises, especially on the economy. Truss says she will cut taxes immediately to ease the cost-of-living crisis, while Sunak argues it is vital to get inflation under control first.
Sunak said Truss’s tax cuts would give a “sugar rush” but ultimately pour “fuel on the fire” of inflation that is already at a 40-year high.
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Truss surges ahead, wins key backers in UK leadership race
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Truss surges ahead, wins key backers in UK leadership race
- The endorsement is a blow to ex-Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, the other finalist in the race for the next Conservative leader
- The winner will be decided by votes from about 180,000 party members across the country
Philippines House panel finds bid to impeach Marcos lacks substance
- President denies allegations of corruption and constitutional violations
- Lower chamber is currently dominated by loyalists of the president
MANILA: The Philippine House justice committee on Wednesday said two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., accusing him of corruption, violating the constitution and betraying public trust, were lacking in substance.
On a third day of discussions about the complaints filed separately by a lawyer and activists, the committee overwhelmingly decided both lacked merit. Marcos, who is midway through his term in office, had denied wrongdoing.
The House of Representatives is expected to convene for a plenary vote where it could either uphold the committee’s findings or override them. The chamber is currently dominated by loyalists of the president.
Gerville Luistro, the head of the justice committee, said they plan to finish the report and submit it to the plenary on Monday next week.
“We intend to transmit right away to the plenary, but it depends on the plenary as to when the same will be tackled on the floor,” Luistro told a press conference.
For Marcos to be impeached it must be supported by at least one-third of the lower house. If that happens, he would be the second Philippine head of state to be impeached after Joseph Estrada, whose 2001 trial was aborted when some prosecutors walked out. The complaints against Marcos included his decision to allow his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to be arrested and taken to The Hague to face trial at the International Criminal Court over thousands of killings during his notorious “war on drugs.”
Marcos, 68, was also accused of abusing his authority in spending public funds that led to a corruption scandal involving flood-control projects. His alleged drug use, which he has denied, also made him unfit to run the country, according to one of the complaints.
If the lower house decides to impeach him, the Senate would be required to convene for trial, where its 24 members serve as jurors.
Five top officials have been impeached in the Philippines and only one of those, a former chief justice, was convicted and removed from office.
On a third day of discussions about the complaints filed separately by a lawyer and activists, the committee overwhelmingly decided both lacked merit. Marcos, who is midway through his term in office, had denied wrongdoing.
The House of Representatives is expected to convene for a plenary vote where it could either uphold the committee’s findings or override them. The chamber is currently dominated by loyalists of the president.
Gerville Luistro, the head of the justice committee, said they plan to finish the report and submit it to the plenary on Monday next week.
“We intend to transmit right away to the plenary, but it depends on the plenary as to when the same will be tackled on the floor,” Luistro told a press conference.
For Marcos to be impeached it must be supported by at least one-third of the lower house. If that happens, he would be the second Philippine head of state to be impeached after Joseph Estrada, whose 2001 trial was aborted when some prosecutors walked out. The complaints against Marcos included his decision to allow his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to be arrested and taken to The Hague to face trial at the International Criminal Court over thousands of killings during his notorious “war on drugs.”
Marcos, 68, was also accused of abusing his authority in spending public funds that led to a corruption scandal involving flood-control projects. His alleged drug use, which he has denied, also made him unfit to run the country, according to one of the complaints.
If the lower house decides to impeach him, the Senate would be required to convene for trial, where its 24 members serve as jurors.
Five top officials have been impeached in the Philippines and only one of those, a former chief justice, was convicted and removed from office.
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