Potential successors have already started throwing their hats in the ring to replace Boris Johnson as Tory leader after he announced his resignation.
The outgoing prime minister finally accepted it was time to step down on Thursday after more than 50 MPs resigned from government and party roles over his behaviour.
The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP has been dogged by a series of scandals throughout his leadership since 2019, but the final nail in the coffin came after it emerged he promoted Tory MP Chris Pincher despite knowing about allegations against him in sexual behavior.
Mr Johnson said he would stay on as prime minister in an acting role until a new Conservative leader is named by the autumn.
The race to succeed Mr Johnson was described by one Tory politician as a “wacky race” – with up to 15 MPs announcing their candidates or preparing to campaign.
To participate, candidates need eight nominations. Candidates must then receive 5 percent of the vote to remain in the race — 18 votes — during the first round. They need to get 10 percent, 36 MPs, in the second round.
Senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker, deputy chairman of the 1922 Backbench Committee during the 2019 contest, suggested leadership candidates who have “no hope” of winning should drop out now and help for the “thinning” of the crowded field.
Here are all the Tory MPs who have launched leadership campaigns so far:
Rishi Sunak
Former chancellor Rishi Sunak is the public favorite to be the next Tory leader
(Daniel Leal/AP)
Mr Sunak entered the Tory leadership race pledging to “restore confidence” after Boris Johnson’s numerous scandals, but warning the country could not afford early tax cuts.
The former chancellor also hinted he would end the “culture wars” the current prime minister likes to wage, vowing: “We’re sick of division.”
Stealing a march on his rivals, Mr. Sunak presented himself as a fiscally responsible candidate, resisting the clamor for tax cuts.
Mr Sunak also launched a website, ready4rishi.com, which – as The Independent exclusively revealed in January – first appeared in September 2020.
At the time, sources close to Mr Sunak described the claims, along with those relating to the chancellor’s leadership campaign preparations, as “totally false”.
Suella Braverman
Attorney General Suella Braverman is among the few to publicly declare her intentions
(Aaron Chown/PA)
About 12 hours before Mr Johnson finally accepted the inevitable and announced he was stepping down as prime minister, the first candidate to succeed him had already announced.
Speaking to ITV’s Robert Peston, Attorney-General Suella Braverman said she planned to stay in office for the good of the country, but slammed Mr Johnson for his poor handling of the Chris Pincher sexual harassment scandal, which ultimately proved his demise.
She then signaled her own intention to run for the leadership, saying: “I love this country, my parents came here with absolutely nothing and it was Britain that gave them hope, security and opportunity.
“This country has provided me with incredible opportunities in my education and career. I owe this country a debt of gratitude and being Prime Minister would be the greatest honor, so yes, I will try.
Hours after Mr. Johnson’s unkind resignation speech the following afternoon, she already had a Twitter account promoting her campaign under way.
Tom Tugendhat
Tom Tugendhat, ex-soldier and chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said he would “bridge the Brexit divide” if elected
(Niall Carson/PA)
Tory MP Tom Tugendhat wasted little time announcing his intention to enter the race, announcing his intentions a day after Mr Johnson quit.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Tugendhat, 49, said: “I am assembling a broad coalition of colleagues who will bring new energy and ideas to government and finally overcome the Brexit divide that has dominated our recent history.
“I have served before – in the army, and now also in the parliament. Now I hope to answer the call again as Prime Minister. It’s time for a fresh start. It’s time for renewal.”
He made his first presentation to Scottish Tory members the following day, stressing the need for “serious and proven leadership” for the party to be successful in Scotland.
Kemi Badenoch
Former Equality Minister Kemi Badenoch has promised tax cuts and said she opposes ‘identity politics’
(HM Treasury)
Former Equality Minister Kemi Badenoch became the fourth candidate to throw her hat into the ring on Friday – promising tax cuts and branding her opposition “identity politics”.
The Saffron Walden MP said he supported lower taxes “to stimulate growth and productivity and accompanied by strict spending discipline”.
Vowing to be an anti-woke candidate, she also hit out at “identity politics” and said Boris Johnson was “a symptom of the problems we face, not the cause of them”.
“People are tired of platitudes and empty rhetoric. Loving our country, our people or our party is not enough,” she wrote in The Times. “What’s missing is an intellectual understanding of what it takes to run the country in an age of increased polarization, protectionism and populism amplified by social media.”
Grant Shapps
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has ruled out a new general election and is proposing tax cuts for businesses hit by skyrocketing energy costs
(PA cable)
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps – who was among the delegation of ministers reported to have told Mr Johnson to leave on Wednesday, shortly after the harrowing scandals of the prime minister’s liaison committee – became the first Tory MP to announce plans to bid for the leadership at the weekend.
“We had two and a half years of tactical management from an often distracted center. This has to end. We need to be a strategic government, sober in our analysis and not chasing the next headline,” Mr Shapps told the Sunday Times.
Mr Shapps’ aim is said to be to tackle the cost of living crisis and rebuild Britain’s economy so that it becomes the biggest in Europe by 2050.
He has ruled out a general election if he wins, but will draw up an emergency budget within the first 100 days to cut taxes for the most vulnerable and give government support to firms with high levels of energy consumption, the newspaper said in Saturday.
Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi says his ‘goal is simple’
(AFP via Getty Images)
Newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi also announced his intention to run for the leadership on Saturday, pledging to “steady the ship and stabilize the economy”.
Fresh from delivering a possible blow to Mr Johnson’s prime ministership in a damning letter on Thursday morning – less than 36 hours after taking the No 11 role – Mr Zahawi promised to cut taxes for people, families and businesses , increase defense spending and pursue education reforms.
In his leadership bid, Mr Zahawi said: “My aim is simple: to ensure the opportunities afforded my generation to all Britons, whoever you are and wherever you come from. To strengthen the ship and stabilize the economy.
“Thanks to Brexit we are now a free nation. Let’s not just talk about the opportunities that lie ahead, let’s use them.
“If a young lad who came here aged 11 without a word of English can serve at the highest levels of Her Majesty’s Government and run for the next Prime Minister, anything is possible.”
Liz Truss
(AFP via Getty Images)
While the Foreign Secretary has yet to announce her campaign, the Mail on Sunday reported that Liz Truss is throwing her hat into the Tory leadership circle and will offer “classic Conservative principles”.
Mrs Truss will reverse the Government’s National Insurance increase, cut corporation tax and introduce measures to ease the cost of living crisis when she announces her campaign, the paper said.
The announcement is expected on Monday, the newspaper reported, adding that Ms Truss will pledge that she is the only candidate who can emulate Mr Johnson’s performance in the 2019 election by upholding “classic Conservative principles”. .
The foreign secretary – long tipped as a potential prime ministerial successor because of his popularity among rank-and-file Tories – was on a trip to Indonesia when Mr Johnson’s dramatic fall unfolded this week and broke his remarkable silence on the matter only after his resignation speech, for to say he “made the right decision.”
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