Rishi Sunak
The chancellor is irritated with the chaos that has been unfolding next door in 10 Downing Street, but is keen to wear his ambitions rather more lightly than Liz Truss, the foreign secretary. However, he was seen wooing donors at a Tory fundraiser and supporters have begun sounding out MPs about his prospects. If Johnson fell under a bus tomorrow, there is no doubt the chancellor would be the one to beat.
Liz Truss
The foreign secretary is running the most obvious proto leadership campaign, getting herself pictured Thatcher-style with head poking out of a tank and holding “Biz for Liz” dinners with donors. An unashamedly 1980s Conservative vision of Britain fighting for freedom and trade deals around the world has made her the most popular minister with the Tory right. Her allies are targeting Sunak, her main rival.
Priti Patel
The home secretary is widely thought to be considering a run for the leadership. She would certainly enjoy good support from fellow Brexiteers and those in the red-wall constituencies who like her tough rhetoric on immigration. However, questions persist about her effectiveness in failing to stem the tide of small boats coming across the Channel and over her explosive temperament.
Jeremy Hunt
The former health secretary was runner-up to Boris Johnson in the 2019 Tory leadership race and has generally won plaudits for his commonsense interventions on the coronavirus. If MPs want someone with experience who is not tainted by membership of this cabinet, Hunt fits the bill. But his strong support for lockdown measures will cost him a lot of support with backbenchers.
Steve Baker
The MP for Wycombe since 2010, Baker is a former rebel commander of backbench Brexiteers, who made David Cameron and Theresa May’s lives a misery. He intends to be the main thorn in the side of a third successive prime minister by taking over the moribund Thatcherite pressure group Conservative Way Forward to fight for low taxes and against more lockdowns.
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Tom Tugendhat
The chairman of the foreign affairs select committee is well regarded at Westminster but his mutual loathing of Boris Johnson, which dates from the latter’s time as foreign secretary, has denied him ministerial office. As a former army officer he knows how to lead the troops, but is hampered by the widespread view that any potential leader needs cabinet experience. Like Baker, a backbench troublemaker.
