he has fired the starting shot in the match to substitute Boris Johnson in No. 10, but there is no clear front runner.
Johnson will remain prime minister until there is a successor, expected by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.
Here are some of the potential contenders to become the new Tory leader, in alphabetical order:
– Steve Baker
prominent Brexiteer and former Secretary of State Steve Baker, a senior Tory backbencher, confirmed on Thursday that he is seriously considering putting himself forward for the top position.
He told Times Radio that people ask him to do it, and it would be “dismissive and disrespectful” for him to disregard statements of support, though he said he views the prospect with “something akin to fear”.
Baker successfully plotted to oust Theresa May as prime minister, but despite his credentials as a Brexit die-hard, he’s not a household name.
– Suella Braverman
The attorney general launched an unlikely leadership bid as support for Mr Johnson crumbled around him Wednesday night.
Previously loyal to the outgoing Prime Minister, she told Peston on ITV that he had handled things “horribly” in recent days and “the balance has now tipped in favor of saying the Prime Minister – it pains me to say it – but it’s time to go”.
Ms Braverman, who was first elected as an MP in 2015, is seen as an outsider to the leadership given the party leaders who had already been tipped to be in the running.
A Suella Braverman for PM Twitter account has emerged, with Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne the first to tweet his support for her bid.
-Sir Robert Buckland
The new Secretary of State for Wales has refused to rule out as Tory leader.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s World at One on Thursday if he’s considering throwing in his hat, the former justice minister said: “Who knows.”
“It’s an unlikely scenario, but I want to see the next prime minister as a person who embodies the values I believe in,” he said, highlighting his credentials as a One Nation Conservative.
– Jeremy Hunt
The former foreign secretary and ex-health minister has been a persistent backseat critic of Mr Johnson and has called on the prime minister to stop.
Mr Hunt is widely expected to make a new bid for leadership after finishing second to Mr Johnson in 2019 and is one of the early favorites among bookmakers.
As chairman of the Commons Health Committee, he has used his position to make a number of critical interventions in the government’s handling of the pandemic, although his strong support for lockdown measures will not have pleased all Tory MPs.
– Sajid Javid
Like Rishi Sunak, Mr Javid’s resignation caused chaos in No. 10 on Tuesday, as the health minister of famously humble beginnings left the government. He pushed it further with an emotional resignation speech in the House of Commons, with Mr Johnson sitting on the front benches with a petrified face.
State-schooled Mr Javid – known in some circles as “The Saj” – is the son of a bus driver who arrived in England from Pakistan in the 1960s and held ministerial positions in housing, business and culture before becoming Chancellor. became, then secretary of health in the midst of the pandemic.
Javid made it to the last four in the match to replace Theresa May as Tory leader in 2019, but dropped out and went on to support Mr Johnson. He told reporters after his resignation Tuesday night that he was looking forward to spending time with his family — but for how long?
– Penny Mordaunt
Another front-runner among the bookmakers – the 5/1 favorite according to one company – Ms Mordaunt made waves in 2019 as the UK’s first female defense secretary before being fired by Mr Johnson shortly after he became prime minister.
Mrs. Mordaunt has plenty to do – she’s a Royal Navy reservist, the current Secretary of State for Commerce and a former reality TV contestant, appearing on the Tom Daley-fronted diving show Splash.
She played a prominent role in the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum and previously reportedly had the support of the likes of Dame Andrea Leadsom.
– Rishi Sunak
Perhaps the frontrunner – with a 7/2 chance with one bookmaker – the former chancellor’s rise of relative obscurity came to a head when he turned on the spending tap to protect jobs through the furlough scheme when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
His calm and measured delivery during televised Covid briefings, and his viral declaration of love for a popular soft drink, will have endeared him to those who may not have always been aware of the political events, as will his resignation over principled matters in the field. from Tuesday.
But his stock has recently plummeted following revelations that his wife was a tax-non-pastor, and criticisms that he was too slow in responding to the cost of living crisis.
– Liz Truss
The Foreign Secretary has made little secret of her leadership ambitions, with a series of high-profile interventions and photo opportunities in which she appeared to channel the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Despite being a staunch Johnson loyalist, she was nowhere to be seen when the government collapsed around him.
Her tough stance on Ukraine, insisting that Russian troops be expelled from the country, and her threats to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU are a good fit with parts of the party.
Outside of politics, Mrs. Truss’s social media flair has given her insight into life outside of Westminster by updating her Instagram account with photos of her relaxing on the beach or behind the scenes at official events, though her passions combine into a bizarre effect in 2014 when her impossibly enthusiastic speech about opening pork markets in Beijing went viral.
– Tom Tugendhat
The polyglot chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee was the first to announce his intention to run if Mr Johnson were eliminated – with his statement made in January.
He reiterated his stance in Friday’s Daily Telegraph, saying he was assembling a “broad coalition” that would provide a “clean start”.
The former soldier wrote in the paper: “I have served before – in the army, and now in parliament. Now I hope to answer the call as prime minister again.”
Tory MP Damian Green has previously said he would support Tugendhat in any leadership match, telling Sky News: “You can bet Tom will run.”
A holdover in 2016, the former soldier has been a sharp critic of Mr Johnson – an attitude that seems to have cost him any chance of ministerial preference under the current leadership.
He recently tried to distance himself from a call from his colleague Remainer, Defense Committee chair, Tobias Ellwood, for the UK to re-join the EU’s single market.
– Ben Wallace
The defense secretary has been admired at Westminster for his candid and direct approach, especially among Tory MPs who pushed for the UK to increase its defense spending, although cuts to army size remain a cause for concern.
Mr Wallace, who served in the Scots Guards, remains a key voice in the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and this increased exposure could help any leadership bid.
He has consistently supported Mr Johnson but has pushed for higher defense spending.
– Nadhim Zahawi
The former education secretary is considered by some to be a “safe pair of hands” if other candidates prove too divided.
Indeed, he was the man trusted to take on Wednesday morning’s broadcast round of interviews, his first full day in his new job as chancellor, before later urging the prime minister to resign.
Iraqi-born Mr. Zahawi was a successful businessman and rose to prominence as the vaccine minister during the pandemic, where he was credited with a key role in the successful rollout of the vaccine.