LONDON - Exhausted rather than exuberant, the two candidates to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson held their last scheduled joint campaign appearance on Wednesday , trading final jabs in a contest that has often seemed to have little to do with the economic storm clouds gathering over Britain.
The winner will be announced on Monday, chosen in balloting not by tens of millions of British voters, but by roughly 160,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party. With the party holding a majority in Parliament, its new leader will become prime minister. The last joint appearance by the rivals, at Wembley Arena in London, marked the end of a contest that has seemed both grinding and oddly static, stretching back to July 20, when Conservative lawmakers winnowed a field of 11 candidates to two finalists.through 12 party rallies similar to Wednesday's.
Rather than confront the economic headwinds, Ms Truss and Mr Sunak have waged a surprisingly bitter battle against each other. After one of their first head-to-head debates in July, aides to Ms Truss accused Mr Sunak of"mansplaining" and speaking over her. He said her policies would"tip millions of people into misery".
The ceremonial transfer of power is usually held at Buckingham Palace in London, but has been moved to Balmoral to accommodate the 96-year-old queen, who is in fragile health. Palace officials said they did not want to risk disrupting government business if the queen planned a return to London for the occasion and then suddenly had to cancel.