"It's still early days" says underdog UK leadership candidate Sunak

Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak said it was still "early days" in the leadership contest to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a day after an opinion poll showed him trailing far behind his rival, Liz Truss.

"It's still early days and I'm looking forward to meeting many more of you in the coming weeks," Sunak said in a tweet ahead of campaigning among members of the ruling Conservative Party later on Wednesday.

On Tuesday an opinion poll showed Foreign Secretary Truss had a 34-point lead over Sunak among the Conservative members who will decide Britain's next prime minister over the coming weeks.