After the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as party leader of the Conservative Tories, the race for his successor is still wide open. Well-known Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, Attorney General Suella Braverman and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who resigned on Tuesday, were the first to announce their applications. But there are likely to be a number of other candidates. An overview:
Tom Tugendhat
The 49-year-old former army officer is the leader of the influential Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons. "I've served before - in the armed forces and now in parliament," Tugendhat wrote in the Daily Telegraph. Now he wants to serve his country as prime minister and forge a "broad coalition" for a "restart". Even before Johnson's resignation, Tugendhat had let it be known that he would apply to succeed the party and government leader. Among other things, he made a name for himself with a tough stance on China and criticism of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Within the party, the camp of Johnson supporters is critical of him.
Suella Braverman
Braverman positioned himself in interviews for his successor on Wednesday, before Johnson's resignation. The 42-year-old Brexit advocate is popular in the party because of her opposition to the EU, but is considered a relatively hopeless candidate. Braverman is one of the 28 so-called Spartans in the Tory faction who failed the Brexit deal negotiated by ex-Prime Minister Theresa May in all three votes in the House of Commons.
Rishi Altar
Sunak resigned as Treasury Secretary on Tuesday in protest at Johnson's administration, adding to Johnson's downfall. On Friday, he confirmed that Sunak himself is interested in the position. The 42-year-old, who is very present in the online networks, combined the announcement of his application for party chairmanship with an image film about himself. The first Hindu finance minister in Great Britain scored points with his economic policy in the Corona crisis and has long been traded as a candidate for Johnson's successor. But questions about his considerable private fortune and tax tricks by his family have recently damaged his reputation. His popularity ratings also suffered from the fact that he initially refused further help for the population, despite the sharp rise in the cost of living.
Sajid Javid
The former investment banker and son of a bus driver of Pakistani origin belongs to the business-liberal wing of the conservatives. In 2020 he had already resigned as finance minister in a dispute with Johnson, but was reappointed to the cabinet as health minister a good year later. The 52-year-old had long defended Johnson but resigned again on Tuesday along with Finance Minister Sunak. Like Sunak, however, Javid has been criticized for his wealth and tax tricks.
Ben Wallace
The defense minister has gained popularity in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. The 52-year-old former officer is known for being straightforward and competent. In a poll of Tory members published on Thursday, he would be favored for a new party leader election. "Some of us have an obligation to uphold the security of the country, whoever the prime minister is," Wallace said on Thursday, confirming that he would remain in office despite the mass resignations in the government camp.
Penny Mordaunt
In 2019 she became Britain's first female defense secretary, and the 49-year-old is currently Minister of State for Foreign Trade. In 2016 she fought for Brexit. The Royal Navy reservist is considered a good speaker. Some see her as a compromise candidate for the divided Tories' presidency. According to a YouGov poll, she has the second best chance of becoming party leader after Wallace.
Jeremy Hunt
The former foreign and health minister lost in the race for party leadership in 2019. At the time, he presented himself as the "serious" alternative compared to Johnson and his clown image. The former businessman, who speaks fluent Japanese, is considered to be particularly resilient but not very charismatic. Over the past month, Hunt has unabashedly launched a new attempt to challenge the party leader with clear criticism of the party leader. Under Johnson's leadership, the voters "would no longer trust us," the 55-year-old warned that a defeat in the next parliamentary election was inevitable.
Liz Truss
The foreign minister is valued in the conservative party for her openness and assertiveness. However, this has also raised questions, for example when she called on the British to fight in Ukraine in February. Critics accuse the 46-year-old of making herself vulnerable through her frankness.
Nadihm Zahawi
Sunak's successor as Finance Minister had previously made a name for himself as responsible for Britain's corona vaccination campaign. Before that he was Minister of Education. The 55-year-old came to Britain as a child as a refugee from Iraq. Before he went into politics, he founded the well-known opinion research institute YouGov. Zahawi's reputation is also overshadowed by questions about his private fortune.
