It might be easier — and quicker — to list who is not considering a run to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and thus the 56th and next prime minister of Britain.
A slew of candidates, both favorites and dark horses, emerged in the hours after a scandal-plagued Mr. Johnson bowed to the inevitable on Thursday and announced he was stepping down as prime minister. That so many appear ready to throw their hat into the ring suggests the race is wide open, British political watchers said, with no clear favorite and no outsized personality like Mr. Johnson likely to dominate the field.
The early favorites of the handicappers and oddsmakers include names likely to be unfamiliar to those who do not follow British politics closely and even to many Britons: Suella Braverman, Penny Mordaunt, Tom Tugendhat, Nadhim Zahawi.
Rishi Sunak, who was treasury chief from 2020 until his resignation this week, helped convince Mr. Johnson it was time to step down. He has an international profile and a reputation as a rising star in Conservative Party circles, but his candidacy has been hurt by his role in the infamous “Partygate” scandal flouting COVID-19 lockdown rules and by more recent revelations that his wealthy wife may have skirted tax regulations.
The process could produce a surprise winner. Candidates are nominated by fellow Conservative members of Parliament and then face a series of parliamentary caucus secret-ballot votes from which two finalists will emerge.
The roughly 200,000 Conservative Party members across the country then vote by mail for the next party leader and prime minister.
SEE ALSO: ‘Them’s the breaks’ — Johnson stepping down as Britain’s leader
Defense Minister Ben Wallace was touted as a “front-runner” based on the results of a YouGov snap poll, ahead of 12 rivals in a survey of just over 700 Conservative Party members. He received 13% of the vote to 12% for Ms. Mordaunt, the international trade minister, and Mr. Sunak at 10%. The YouGov poll did indicate that Mr. Wallace, a 52-year-old army veteran who has garnered attention for Britain’s energetic military support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, also fares well in head-to-head match-ups against his rivals should he survive to the final selection by party members.
Mr. Johnson, whose poll numbers have cratered in recent months, has not designated a favored successor, and it is not clear an endorsement would help at this time. He talked of heading a “caretaker government” for several months as the succession battle played out, but many expect the party to try to have a new leader in place much sooner.
Mr. Johnson rolled up a massive victory for the Conservatives in 2019 with a slogan, “Get Brexit Done,” but Britain’s relationship with the EU and its role in the world could be up for debate again in the coming leadership contest.
Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who lost to Mr. Johnson in the race to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May in 2019 and initially opposed the U.K.’s exit from the European Union, is weighing another run. He told reporters in January that his hopes for the top job had not “completely vanished.”
Ms. Truss has also carved out an international reputation, first as Mr. Johnson’s trade secretary and then as foreign secretary since September 2021. She has made the most of Britain’s new freedom to maneuver after leaving the EU, helping to advance bilateral free trade accords with Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
She cut short a trip to the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia this week as the political drama was unfolding at home and told reporters, “We need calmness and unity now and to keep governing while a new leader is found.”
Among the first out of the blocks in the race were Mr. Tugendhat, a persistent critic of Mr. Johnson’s leadership and a hawk on China from his post as chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ms. Braverman, Britain’s attorney general since 2020, who announced her readiness to run a day before Mr. Johnson made it official that he was stepping down.
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Ms. Braverman, 42, is one of a number of top candidates in the race, along with Mr. Zahawi, Mr. Sunak and former Health Secretary Sajid Javid with ethnic backgrounds who are considered serious contenders.
The fact that the expected dozen or more prospective candidates include those who supported and opposed Brexit underscores ideological divisions within the Conservative majority.
Many Tories objected strongly to Mr. Johnson’s free-spending ways and what they saw as a betrayal of Brexit’s promise to free up markets in Britain and reduce the role of the state in voters’ lives.
The Conservatives’ huge majority in Parliament could make party members more adventurous in their selection.
Although the opposition Labor Party has surged in polls and is pressing for a no-confidence vote, the government’s mandate runs through the end of 2024, giving whoever replaces Mr. Johnson the time and political breathing room to set a new policy direction and enjoy the advantages of incumbency for more than two years.
The hope, Conservative strategists say, is that the country’s current economic woes and COVID-19 scandals will have faded by the time the prime minister again has to face the voters.
If Mr. Johnson’s successor has early success, the new prime minister could also call a snap election hoping to secure a personal mandate to govern.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.