The leading candidates to replace Liz Truss as Britain’s prime minister include key figures from her cabinet as well as former rivals for leadership of the Conservative Party. Some analysts have even speculated that Boris Johnson, who resigned as prime minister in the summer, could make a return.
On Thursday, Jeremy Hunt, who was appointed chancellor of the Exchequer last week and is credited with restoring some economic stability, said he would not run for party leader, the BBC reported.
Here is a look at some of the potential contenders:
Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons
Ms. Mordaunt, 49, became leader of the lower house of Britain’s Parliament after briefly emerging as a contender in this summer’s Conservative Party leadership contest, won by Ms. Truss. At the time, Ms. Mordaunt’s swift rise alarmed some critics, who said that she was untested and thinly qualified for prime minister.
A paratrooper’s daughter who serves in the Royal Naval Reserve, Ms. Mordaunt was defense secretary for two and a half months in 2019 and held a lesser cabinet post in charge of international development.
People who have worked with Ms. Mordaunt describe her as charming and sincere but not interested in the complexities of policy. She also has little economic experience, just as Britain is striving to maintain economic credibility.
Rishi Sunak, former chancellor beaten by Ms. Truss
Mr. Sunak, 42, served as chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister Boris Johnson and was seen for a time as his most likely successor.
But he finished second in the party leadership contest to Ms. Truss, hampered by his association with Covid-era spending, tax increases and Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, as well as his part in pushing out Mr. Johnson, an ouster that many party members came to say they regret.
Mr. Sunak, the Oxford- and Stanford-educated son of Indian immigrants, has been held up as an example of a multiethnic and more modern Britain. But two scandals this year tarnished his reputation.
His wealthy wife was found to have claimed a tax status that allowed her to avoid paying taxes on some of her income. Then it was revealed that Mr. Sunak continued to hold a green card, allowing him to live and work in the United States for months after he became chancellor.
Ben Wallace, defense secretary
Mr. Wallace, 52, a former soldier, was said to be a top choice among Conservative Party members to succeed Mr. Johnson. But he decided not to seek the premiership, acknowledging to The Telegraph in September: “I didn’t want it enough.”
He said he was supporting Ms. Truss in the party contest, in part because she had promised to increase military spending. He has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion and traveled to Kyiv in September to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Mr. Wallace, who opposed Brexit, previously served as the minister for security and economic crime, the Northern Ireland minister and the assistant whip.
Suella Braverman, former home secretary
Ms. Braverman, 42, is seen as a dark horse candidate. She is a hard-liner who was hostile to moves to allow more immigrants into Britain, and previously served as attorney general.
She was fired by Ms. Truss as home secretary on Wednesday after acknowledging that she was guilty of a technical breach of email security rules. But in her letter of resignation, she said she had “concerns about the direction of this government,” accusing it of breaking pledges to voters and, in particular, of failing to curb immigration.
Ms. Braverman is the daughter of Kenyan and Mauritian immigrants. Last year, while attorney general, she made headlines when she became Britain’s first cabinet official to take paid maternity leave without stepping down from her post, after Parliament changed a law that would have required her to do so.
Source : Nytimes
