WEB DESK
Following resignation of Boris Johnson as prime minister of United Kingdom, there will now be a leadership election to decide who becomes the next Conservative leader and prime minister.
They will have to secure the backing of Tory MPs, with the final two candidates going to a ballot of Conservative members. But who are the potential candidates?
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and former senior minister Michael Gove will not run to become the next Conservative leader, according to the right-leaning Daily Mail newspaper.
The two – both senior figures in the Johnson Cabinet — have both been touted as the possible caretaker prime minister if Johnson is forced out before the leader is elected.
Anyone taking the temporary prime ministerial role would most likely have to rule themselves out of the leadership race.
Gove, who served as secretary of state for “leveling up”, housing and communities, was sacked by Johnson late on Wednesday.
As Johnson’s deputy, having led the UK government when the prime minister was incapacitated by COVID-19, Raab is seen as most likely to succeed should there be a caretaker.
most of these MPs and ministers have not yet said whether they want the job of Tory leader and PM – but they are the ones to watch. Others may also come forward.
According to BBC some of the possible candidates are …..
Rishi Sunak
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Liz Truss
Foreign Secretary
Sajid Javid
Former Health Secretary
Michael Gove
Former Levelling Up Secretary
Nadhim Zahawi
New Chancellor of the Exchequer
Jeremy Hunt
Member of Parliament
Suella Braverman
Attorney General
Penny Mordaunt
Minister of State
Ben Wallace
Defence Secretary
Tom Tugendhat
Member of Parliament
Priti Patel
Home Secretary
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace appears to be the favourite to replace Boris Johnson as PM and party leader among Tory party members.
A YouGov poll of 716 Conservative party members placed Ben Wallace just ahead of Penny Mordaunt, who was followed Rishi Sunak.