Highlights
- The primary candidates in the race to become the next UK PM are Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
- However, the voting has been delayed due to a hacking alert.
- Tory members could receive postal ballots for voting, as late as August 11.
UK PM race: The primary candidates in the race to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom are Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. However, the voting to choose one among them was delayed on Wednesday after Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) warned that cyber hackers could alter the people's ballot, according to various media reports.
Tory members could receive postal ballots for voting, as late as August 11 because of the hacking. Earlier, the Conservative Party members were going to be given a postal ballot which had a code with it, and they could select their preferred PM between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak by post or online but the advice of the National Cyber Security Centre changed their plan.
A UK-based publication referring to an email on Tuesday evening said, "Your ballot is now on the way - but it will arrive with you a little later than we originally said. "Please do not worry. This is because we have taken some time to add some additional security to our ballot process, which has delayed us slightly," it adds.
Under the first online voting system, cyber hackers would possibly amend a large number of ballots online near the end of the contest.
Additionally, there was a chance that someone who completed a postal vote and put a picture of their ballot online could be vulnerable to it being changed if there was a visible code on it.
Truss and Sunak, both contenders have to undergo bouts of 12 nationwide events as the first bout took place in Leeds, Northern England as the members elect a new leader. The result will be announced on Sept 5.
According to Smarkets, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is leading the race to replace Boris Johnson as UK's next PM by 90.91 per cent whereas Rishi Sunak's chance of becoming the next UK PM has shrunk to 9.09 per cent. Sunak's support shrunk as his party members believed that Sunak has stabbed Boris Johnson in the back.
Tory members who back Truss and want her to build the cabinet include Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries and Boris Johnson. On the other hand, Tory members who support Sunak include Tom Tugendhat, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt, according to the latest YouGov survey.
Notably, Truss and Sunak who are fighting for the UK Prime Minister post have gone head-to-head in a debate in their first official grilling in the presence of conservative party members in Leeds on Thursday.
(With ANI Inputs)
