LONDON: If speculation in the British media is to be believed that Foreign Minister Liz Truss is set to defeat Rishi Sunak in the election for the post of Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party, Suella Braverman will probably be the only British leader of Indian origin in the new cabinet.
It is being said that Truss (47) wants to hand over the responsibility of Home Minister to Braverman in place of Priti Patel, 42-year-old Braverman of Goa origin, who was a contender in the early stages of Tory leadership contest, is currently Attorney General.
She extended her support to Truss after being out in the race in the second round of elections in mid-July. Braverman said at the time, “Liz is ready to be prime minister. They will not need to learn to work. This is a difficult task and needs to be done in a proper way. The party has seen difficult six years and there is an urgent need for stability.
Patel did not publicly announce whether she supports Sunak or Truss. In such a situation, Braverman may be rewarded for supporting the Truss. Sunak has said that whatever the outcome, he will support the Conservative government and indicated that he may not serve in Truss’s cabinet. However, supporters of the 42-year-old former chancellor have insisted that Sunak should be “treated fairly” if Truss takes charge of 10 Downing Street.
Most polls and media reports have fueled speculation that Truss will be victorious when the results of the election to replace Boris Johnson come out on Monday, but Sunak tweeted his hope of victory. “Voting has now closed. Thank you to all my colleagues, the campaign team and all the members who came to meet me for your support. See you on Monday.” Kept focused on the point plan.
In the Truss-led cabinet, trade minister Quasi Quarteng could become finance minister and education minister James Cleverly is likely to be promoted to foreign minister. Apart from this, former candidates for the post of Prime Minister-Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid can be given the responsibility of Minister of Northern Ireland and Chancellor Nadim Jahavi as Cabinet Office Minister. Some leaders, such as Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, are likely to be retained as ministers in the new Tory government led by Truss.