UK foreign minister Liz Truss joins 11-strong race to replace Boris Johnson
- Liz Truss joins 10 other candidates who have begun to make their pitches including Rishi Sunak
- The precise timetable for the leadership contest is expected to be set out late on Monday
UK foreign minister Liz Truss has joined the race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister and leader of the ruling Conservative Party, as the fractious contest focused on tax.
Truss, 46, announced her candidacy in The Daily Telegraph newspaper on Sunday evening, saying she had “a clear vision of where we need to be, and the experience and resolve to get us there”.
The bid by Truss, seen as a front runner in the Tory leadership contest, followed that of former defence minister Penny Mordaunt as the race expanded to 11 candidates.
Mordaunt, 49, an ex-navy reservist who has also held several senior ministerial roles, is not among the favourites to succeed Johnson in recent polls of Tory party members ultimately set to choose their new leader.
But such contests are notoriously unpredictable, and with more than a dozen lawmakers from multiple factions of the ruling party potentially set to run, political commentators say few contenders can be discounted.
The early favourite is former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who launched his campaign Friday after helping to kick-start the cabinet revolt that led to Johnson’s forced resignation Thursday. He is now drawing early fire from Johnson loyalists and rival candidates.