Months of anger over Boris Johnson’s judgment and ethics within his party prompted him to step down, here are some likely candidates for PM.
Months of dissatisfaction over Boris Johnson’s judgment and ethics within his governing Conservative Party exploded leading to the resignations of Treasury Chief Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary, Sajid Javid within minutes of each other on Tuesday evening.
In a sharp statement to Parliament Wednesday, Javid said he had concluded that “the problem starts at the top and that is not going to change.”
“This week again, we have reason to question the truth and integrity of what we’ve all been told. And at some point we have to conclude that enough is enough,” added Javid. “I believe that point is now.”
Boris Johnson plans to remain as prime minister until a successor is chosen.
What happens next?
After Boris Johnson announced he will resign, it implies there will now be a leadership election to decide who becomes the next Conservative leader and prime minister.
They will have to ensure the backing of Tory MPs, with the final two candidates going to a ballot of Conservative members. But who are the potential candidates?
Here are the contenders that could become the next prime minister of Britain:
Rishi Sunak: Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Liz Truss: Foreign Secretary
Sajid Javid: Former Health 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
Steve Baker: Member of Parliament
Priti Patel: Home Secretary
Grant Shapps: Transport Secretary