The ‘world king’ is dead so who will be the next to wear the crown? Already the jockeying has begun to replace Boris Johnson as the next Tory party leader, with MPs beginning to endorse each other. Coffee House will be keeping a list of those who have declared and who their backs are but Mr S thought he would provide a quick run down of some of the most likely candidates and their strengths and weaknesses…
Nadhim Zahawi
The millionaire pollster has had quite the exciting week. Education Secretary on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer on Thursday and Brutus the Assassin on Friday. Zahawi’s volte face on Boris stunned Westminster last night as news leaked out that the onetime Johnson ally had chosen to turn on the PM. Has that move damaged his prospects? Or does it prove that the Stratford MP has the steel necessary to run the country?
Penny Mordaunt
The ambitious trade minister has surprised her supporters by not being one of the 57 Tories who resigned from Johnson’s government. It’s no secret that Mordaunt has been on maneuvers, ostentatiously refusing to back Boris in last month’s confidence vote and holding regular meetings with backbenchers to discuss ‘the future.’ A staunch supporter of trans rights and Brexit, Mordaunt will be hoping to make as big a splash amongst the members as she did on 2014 diving-themed TV series.
Steve Baker
The ‘Brexit hardman’ has proved a shrewd tactician in his capacity running the ERG and Covid Recovery Groups. But does he have the numbers to get through to the final two? The Wycombe MP appeared on Radio 4 this morning and said he was being ‘implored’ to stand by friends and colleagues, despite never having served at cabinet level. Mr S suspects that Baker’s re-launch of the Conservative Way Forward group next week could be crucial in deciding the fate of the leadership contenders in the weeks and months to come.
Suella Braverman
The Attorney-General stunned the political world last night when she went on Robert Peston’s show and announced she planned to stand as Tory leader – but wouldn’t be resigning from government. In the event, Braverman’s bold gamble did work as it was Johnson who lost his job while she kept hers. Already the Brexit Spartan is making friends (and enemies) with her vociferously anti-woke platform. One MP remarks dryly: ‘she’s not exactly had complimentary comments from fellow legislators with her work.’
Tom Tugendhat
The One Nation caucus is already starting to line up behind Tugendhat, despite the Old Pauline being yet to declare. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and head of the China Research Group; he may not have ministerial experience but TT certainly has made some noises in parliament. A sworn enemy of Boris Johnson: an epithet which may attract as many MPs as it repels.
Jeremy Hunt
Likely to be Tugendhat’s biggest rival for the One Nation caucus. Ran into 2019 and lost in the final two to Boris: can he go one better this time? Spent three years on the backbenches for the past three years but previously was a mainstay of the Cameron and May governments. But some fear that the Surrey MP doesn’t have the magic to pull off an unlikely fifth straight electoral triumph.
Sajid Javid
Could it be third time lucky for ‘the Saj’? Having failed in 2016 and 2019, Javid is well-placed to mount a serious bid for the leadership this time around. He was the first to quit the government on Tuesday night and is respected for his integrity both within parliament and the media. Johnson loyalists are unlikely to forget though, and there are fears among some that he’s just too wooden to succeed.
Rishi Sunak
The onetime crown prince of British politics, Sunak’s star has fallen since his April woes over the Spring Statement, his green card and his wife’s tax affairs. But he still has his fans in the parliamentary party, with a number of colleagues ready to form the basis of a formidable leadership team. He is, however, likely to be challenged on his economic record, which has been unpopular with Tory MPs and party members.
Ben Wallace
The early bookies’ favourite and viewed as a ‘safe pair of hands’. Widely-respected across the party, Wallace is widely seen as having had a ‘good war’ in Ukraine. But there’s questions as to whether the former Scots’ Guards officer will actually want to run, with many expecting him to be more of a king-maker than a king.
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