One of the first to express his displeasure with Boris Johnson's stance, he resigned, former finance minister, Rishi Sunak, has officially announced that he will be a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party and a candidate for Prime Minister.
The 42-year-old former minister is considered one of the favourites for the post. On Tuesday he announced he was leaving the government, as did Health Minister Sajid Javid, following a new scandal. Their resignations caused a tsunami of resignations and Johnson was finally forced to resign himself yesterday, Thursday.
"Someone has to seize this moment and make the right decisions. That's why I'm running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister," Sunak said in a video posted on Twitter.
"The decisions we make today will determine whether the next generation of Britons have a chance for a better future. Do we treat this moment with honesty, seriousness and determination or do we tell ourselves fairy tales that make us feel better for a while but will leave our children worse off tomorrow?" he added.
The names of the 11 candidates for Boris Johnson's successor and the chances of each of them getting the job, based on the odds given by betting companies.
Ben Wallace
For the Times and betting firms (at odds of 7), the favourite successor is Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, whose role was particularly highlighted in the wake of the recent invasion of Ukraine, although he generally keeps a low profile and distances himself from incidents of corruption and political intrigue. As a former Army Chief of Staff, he is party disciplined, supporting Boris Johnson in the impeachment proceedings against him for this reason.
Rishi Sunak
The same odds as Wallace are given by betting companies in Britain as to the victory of former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak in the British succession race. In fact, he was among the ministers who resigned under the weight of the rapid revelations, noting that "the public rightly expects the government to behave properly, competently and seriously."[BR] His high popularity stems from the fact that he was responsible for providing state aid during the pandemic, opening up the public purse to everyone, but has recently come under fire for his high levels of accuracy.
Dominic Raab
Although bookmakers give him odds of 26 to win the succession among the Conservatives, Justice Minister Dominic Raab has filled in for Boris Johnson during his hospitalisation and is considered one of his most trusted figures. For this reason, he cannot be ruled out to be nominated as the interim leader of the Conservatives.
Penny Mordaunt
A dynamic woman running for the Conservative leadership, Penny Mordaunt has been a herald of Brexit and is credited with the revival of trade relations with the US, which is why she is seen as a favourite at odds of 5.50 by bookmakers.
Sayyid Javid
Having served as a Minister with many different portfolios, the Health Secretary claims to be a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher and the free market, and shifted government policy from horizontal restrictions to individual responsibility when it came to Britain's management of the pandemic.
Liz Truss
Secretary of State, Liz Truss has declared her loyalty to Boris Johnson in recent hours, however, she had recently intensified her contacts with Conservative party officials and MPs, gauging the climate for her next political step up, which determines her betting odds at 8.
Nadhim Zahawi
The child of refugees from Iraq, Nadhim Zahawi distinguished himself as Minister responsible for vaccination and in recent hours has emerged as Finance Minister. However, he is saddled with cases of malfeasance and maintains links to companies operating in tax havens, elements that shape his performance at 11.
Priti Patel
Although the child of immigrants from India, her hardline stances on illegal immigration catapulted her into Conservative ranks, as she opposed the arrival of migrants to the UK on several occasions.
Jeremy Hunt
This is the male version of Theresa May, as Conservative MPs have observed of Jeremy Hunt at odds of 13 on the betting, making, according to the Financial Times, his colleagues sceptical about his emergence as Conservative leader.
Tom Toongenhat
A journalist and foreign policy analyst, Tom Toongenhat, with odds of 13 on the betting, is one of Boris Johnson's critics as a potential successor, and is equally negative towards the UK-China bilateral relationship, leading Beijing to impose personal sanctions on him.
Michael Gove
This is Boris Johnson's ultimate opponent, who, despite scoring a 21 rating in the succession race, it was he who urged the Prime Minister to resign, resulting in his sacking in the last 24 hours.
The scandal that brought down Boris Johnson
The resignation as leader of the Conservative Party comes as a result of the scandal caused by the news that Boris Johnson appointed Chris Pincher MP to a government post in the House of Commons, even though he knew there was a pending sexual harassment investigation against him from 2019.
The consequences were unprecedented, with both the government and his own party "leafleted". Already, around 60 members of the government have resigned, making his removal from the Tory leadership a necessity. The developments have forced Foreign Secretary Lise Truss to return from Indonesia, where she was in Indonesia for the G20. At the same time, shortly after the announcement of the intention to resign, Johnson and his staff went through a reshuffle to fill the positions of the ministers who resigned.
"Betting" on the timing of his departure from the prime ministership
A Prime Minister's Office source said Johnson had spoken to the chairman of the Conservative committee, the so-called "1922 Committee" which is responsible for internal party affairs, Sir Graham Brady, and agreed to resign. A new Conservative leader is expected to be named by October, when the party conference is due to take place.
Many believe Johnson's resignation is a manoeuvre to keep him in the prime ministership. However, there are strong doubts about whether he will be able to stay in Downing Street until then because of the backlash from MPs. Besides, apart from the government officials, 1/3 of all MPs who held non-ministerial positions have resigned.
Source: protothema.gr
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