Who takes over from departing Johnson?
BORIS Johnson’s resignation after haemorrhaging support among his ministers and MPS will fire the starting gun for a contest to replace him.
He will remain as Prime Minister until a successor is in place, expected to be by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.
Here are some of the potential frontrunners to be the new Tory leader:
Steve Baker
Prominent Brexiteer and former minister Steve Baker, a senior Tory backbencher, confirmed on Thursday that he is seriously considering putting himself forward for the top job.
Suella Braverman
The Attorney General launched an unlikely leadership bid as support for Mr Johnson crumbled around him on Wednesday night.
Previously loyal to the departing premier, she told Peston on ITV that he had handled matters “appallingly” in recent days and “the balance has tipped now in favour of saying that the Prime Minister - it pains me to say it - but it’s time to go”.
Sir Robert Buckland
The new Secretary of State for Wales has declined to rule out run- ning as Tory leader.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme on Thursday whether he was considering throwing his hat in the ring, the former justice secretary said: “Who knows.”
Jeremy Hunt
The former foreign secretary and exhealth secretary has been a persistent backbench critic of Mr Johnson and has called on the Prime Minister to quit.
Mr Hunt is widely expected to make a fresh bid for the leadership, having been runner-up to Mr Johnson in 2019, and is among the early favourites with bookmakers.
Sajid Javid
Like Rishi Sunak, Mr Javid’s resignation on Tuesday caused chaos in No 10, as the health secretary from famously humble beginnings left the Government. He further stuck the knife in with an emotional resignation speech in the Commons, with Mr Johnson sat, stony-faced, on the front benches.
Mr Javid made it to the final four in the contest to replace Theresa May as Tory leader in 2019, but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson.
Penny Mordaunt
Another frontrunner with the bookies the 5/1 favourite according to one firm - Ms Mordaunt made waves in 2019 as the UK’S first female defence secretary before being fired by Mr Johnson shortly after he became Prime Minister.
Rishi Sunak
Perhaps the front-runner - with odds of 7/2 with one bookmaker - the former chancellor’s rise from relative obscurity to household name came as he turned on the spending taps to protect jobs through the furlough scheme when the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Liz Truss
The Foreign Secretary has made little secret of her leadership ambitions, with a series of high-profile interventions and photo opportunities in which she appeared to be channelling late PM Margaret Thatcher. Despite being a fervent Johnson loyalist, she was nowhere to be seen as the Government crumbled around him.
Ben Wallace
The Defence Secretary has won admirers in Westminster for his straight-talking and straightforward approach, particularly among Tory MPS who pressed for the UK to increase its defence spending, although cuts to the size of the Army remain a cause for concern.