With Boris Johnson going, talk now turns to the next Conservative leadership race. Tory leadership contests are always more like the Grand National than the Derby: crowded, unpredictable and with the favourite often not making it. But even by these standards, the coming contest looks remarkably open.
There will be no shortage of candidates. Suella Braverman, the attorney general, has already announced that she will be running. Steve Baker has said he’s keen. Damian Green has said Tom Tugendhat will run. Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid and Penny Mordaunt are all expected to stand.
Ben Wallace is currently the favourite, and as one canny observer notes, the defence secretary has lost weight and is wearing much smarter suits; a male MP’s waistline is often the best guide to their political intentions.
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