Poll: Britons Favor Opposition Leader Starmer as New Prime Minister, Not Another Conservative

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK citizens would rather have the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, as the next prime minister than any Conservative candidate vying for office, an Opinium poll indicated on Wednesday.

According to the pollster, the front runner, ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who garnered the most support in previous rounds of the vote, was supported by only 35% of the respondents. Meanwhile, 46% of the surveyed favored Starmer.

This discrepancy grows wider if other contenders step into Sunak's place. Only 33% of the respondents indicated that they would welcome junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt as new prime minister against 45% of the public for the Labour leader. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was the least favored candidate with 32% of the respondents, with Starmer leading at 46%, 14% ahead of her.

Opinium surveyed 2,000 adults in the UK between Monday and Tuesday. The margin of error was not indicated.

A total of 11 candidates initially announced their nomination for the prime minister's seat, with only two — Sunak and Truss — currently remaining in the race after the fifth round of voting. Now all Conservative party members, and there are around 200,000 of them, will cast their ballots by mail. The final results are expected on September 5.

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation on July 7 and will remain caretaker prime minister until a replacement is elected. He survived a no-confidence vote in June over violating COVID-19 rules but stepped down only after multiple members of his cabinet resigned in protest over a controversial appointment.