It is between the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and the Foreign Minister Liz Truss the duel to succeed Boris Johnson as Tory leader and future British Prime Minister.
This was established by the fifth and final ballot conducted today among the deputies of the majority party with the elimination of former Defense Minister Penny Mordaunt overtaken by Truss in second place behind the former Treasury Minister, who maintained the first position.
The results were communicated by the president of the 1922 Committee, the electoral body within the conservative group in the House of Commons, Graham Brady: Sunak obtained 137 votes, Truss 113 and Mordaunt 105. The head of the Foreign Office managed to overtake to win the second place only in the last preliminary and very narrow scrutiny.
After the resignation given on 7 July by a scandal-ridden Boris Johnson, it is now certain that the British government will be led for the first time by a man of Afro-Indian descent, or for the third time by a woman.
"Thank you for placing your trust in me," tweeted Liz Truss.
In his last speech in Parliament as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson greeted the municipalities citing Terminator: "hasta la vista, baby" and gave advice for those who succeed him: "Stay close to the Americans, support the Ukrainians, fight for freedom and democracy everywhere. Lower taxes and deregulate where you can to make this country the best place to live and invest ".
The final challenge between the two big players of the Tory team only reaffirms the initial predictions that saw Sunak and Truss as favorites in the race for leadership.
Now space will be given to the rallies of the two suitors in front of the party activists, then in the second half of August there will be the postal vote of the approximately 160,000 members and then the final result on 5 September, with the name of the new British Prime Minister.