Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak faces competition from Penny Mordaunt, a junior trade minister, and foreign minister Liz Truss, who launched her official campaign.

Ms. Badenoch’s parents are from Nigeria, and she spent several years in Africa as a child. Mr. Johnson’s supporters are believed to be furious at Mr. Sunak, 42, for resigning from cabinet last Tuesday and then leading the calls for Mr. Johnson to go. Ms. Mordaunt, 49, has tried to claim the centre ground. While she was a vocal supporter of Britain leaving the European Union during the 2016 Brexit referendum, she has backed several progressive social causes, including transgender rights. The party’s roughly 200,000 members will then select the winner through a national ballot next month, and the result will be announced Sept. 5. Ms. Truss, 46, has said that taxes should be slashed right away. Instead, he has vowed to cut taxes only when public finances have improved. As it stands, party members will most likely be selecting either a prime minister whose family hails from India or the third woman to lead the party and the country, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. Whoever wins will take over from Mr. Johnson as both party leader and prime minister. Mr. Sunak took 101 votes Thursday, up 13 from Wednesday’s first round. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss finished third with 64, up 14 from Wednesday. Ms. Mordaunt’s campaign has been surging since she announced her bid Sunday. Several polls of party members have put her well ahead of Mr. Sunak and Ms. Truss, and if she can secure one of the final two spots, most pundits expect her to win.