LONDON — Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will compete against former treasury chief Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party’s contest to become the next prime minister. 

Conservative lawmakers whittled down the group of candidates to just two on Wednesday after several rounds of votes. Sunak received the highest votes from his fellow party members while Truss came in second with 113 — 24 less than Sunak’s 137. Penny Mordaunt lost out on the leadership race after only receiving 105 votes.

Originally, 10 politicians entered the contest to become the next prime minister but after five rounds of voting just Truss and Sunak remain. “Grateful that my colleagues have put their trust in me today,”

Sunak wrote to Twitter following his win. “I will work night and day to deliver our message around the country.” 

” Meanwhile, Truss tweeted: 

Thank you for putting your trust in me. I’m ready to hit the ground running from day one.”

As the government breaks for summer, Truss and Sunak will be in for weeks of tough campaigning before a new prime minister is announced on September 5. However, it is no longer just Conservative members of parliament (MPs) who will be able to vote on their next leader. 

In the U.K., anyone can become a member of the Conservative Party by sending an application and by paying a £25 (around $30) fee a year. There are roughly 160,000 current members; those who have been members for at least three months will then vote on who will become the next leader of the country. A study by the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London found that 44% of the membership is over the age of 65, 54% live in London and the south of England and 71% are mal