Ex-British Minister Of Housing Michael Gove Backs Rishi Sunak

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2022) Former British Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove, who was fired by Boris Johnson in July, has backed former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak for the post of UK prime minister.

"Rishi put the strength of the state at the service of the weakest. I know he always will," Gove said in a Friday op-ed in The Times, criticizing the campaign of British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as "a holiday from reality."

A joint poll by YouGov and Sky news, published on Thursday, showed that 66% of UK Conservative Party members intend to vote for Truss to become the next UK prime minister and Tory leader.

Sunak enjoys only 34% support, according to the survey.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson still enjoys strong support among Tory members, the poll showed, with a total of 55% of Conservatives saying they believe his resignation was a mistake. If Johnson was currently in the contest for the prime minister's office, then 46% of Tories would have voted for him, against 24% for Truss and 23% for Sunak.

Truss and Sunak are the two final candidates in the election race for the post of prime minister, which came after Boris Johnson announced his resignation on July 7. Johnson's successor will be announced on September 5.