LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Following the extraordinary cabinet revolt that led to the resignation of the prime minister as Tory leader, Tory MPs are vying for the position of next Tory leader.Â
The latest MP to declare interest in entering the leadership race is Tom Tugendhat, joining attorney general Suella Braverman and Steve Baker.
Mr. Johnson intends to continue serving as PM until a successor is found by the fall.
He should resign immediately, believe the opposition parties and several Tories, although that seems improbable just now.
Ministers who resigned in opposition to Mr. Johnson’s leadership have been replaced in the cabinet, and Mr. Johnson has informed them that he will not ask them to make significant policy decisions until a new leader is appointed.
In an “ideal world,” deputy prime minister Dominic Raab would take over for a few weeks, said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, but “that ship has sailed.”
They now had to accept that Boris Johnson would serve as prime minister until a replacement could be voted, Sir Geoffrey continued.
The new prime minister is anticipated to take office by September, and a timetable for the Tory leadership race is scheduled to be announced next week.
The Labour Party has vowed to use a vote of no confidence to try and remove the prime minister right away, although this would require significant backing from Conservatives to be successful.
The idea that he was trying to hang on for the foreseeable future, according to Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, was wholly unacceptable, she told the BBC.
In an article published in the Daily Telegraph on Friday, Mr. Tugendhat, the chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, announced his intention to run for prime minister. He promised tax reductions and “new energy and ideas” for the government.
He formerly served in the military and was currently serving in parliament. He now aspired to call again as the PM, said the former soldier and vocal opponent of Mr. Johnson.
Attorney General Ms. Braverman has already declared her intention to run, while Mr. Baker, a former Brexit minister, said he was “seriously” contemplating running after being approached about it.
According to reports to the BBC, the former health secretary, Sajid Javid, and Transport Secretary, both of whom rebelled against Mr. Johnson, are also thinking about running.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, ex-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak are some of the other candidates who have been tipped to run.
More announcements are anticipated in the next few days, although some key Tories have already declared they would not be participating, including former Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
