Poll reveals likely next UK PM

More than 60% of Tories will vote for Liz Truss to be Britain’s next prime minister, a survey finds

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has a 22-point lead over former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak in the race to become the next British prime minister, according to a survey by polling firm Opinium Research published on Saturday.

Out of 570 Conservative Party members polled between Monday and Friday of this past week, 61% said they would vote for Truss, while 39% backed Sunak.

The deadline for the vote is September 2, and the next PM is expected to be announced three days later.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped down as Tory party chief last month after dozens of high-ranking government officials resigned in disagreement with his leadership. Johnson now leads a caretaker government, which will be replaced after the new party leader is elected.

The battle for the premiership takes place amid surging energy prices and an overall increase of the cost of living in the UK. Both candidates have promised to steer Britain through the crisis if chosen to lead the country.

“I am focused on seeing our economy and country through to better days by growing the size of the pie, boosting wages, and supporting jobs to save us from the misery of recession,” Truss wrote in an op-ed published in The Mail on Sunday.

READ MORE: British energy bills forecast to go through the roof

“I have a plan to get us through it and make sure this is a one-winter crunch. I want this to be the last time people have to worry about their bills,” Sunak said in an interview with The Sun on Sunday.

Asked about Truss’ advantage in recent polls by Times Radio on Friday, Sunak insisted that he still has “a fantastic chance to make progress in this campaign,” and that “lots of people have not made up their mind.”