Here are the possible candidates for the succession of the resigning Prime Minister:
Beaten by Liz Truss during the final phase of the process of appointing the leader of the Conservative Party this summer, the former finance minister was nevertheless the preferred candidate of the Conservative MPs. The wealthy 42-year-old former banker has for him that he embodies the reassuring figure of budgetary orthodoxy.
During the campaign, he repeatedly argued that unfunded tax cuts risked pushing inflation to a decades-high level and undermining market confidence.
The facts have proven him right, but he has a major handicap: many of Boris Johnson’s faithful see him as a traitor whose resignation at the start of the summer precipitated the downfall of the former Downing tenant Street.
Minister of Finance since October 14, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer has since seemed to be the one who held the reins of power, both Mme Truss was weakened. It was he who announced on Monday, October 17 the spectacular reversal consisting in canceling almost all of the Truss government’s tax measures which created panic in the markets.
This 55-year-old former foreign minister, experienced but considered uncharismatic, recently assured the BBC that after two failures, in 2019 and then this summer, he did not want to embark on a race for power.
She is also a candidate against Liz Truss to succeed Boris Johnson this summer, the minister responsible for relations with Parliament was the darling of Conservative activists at the start of the campaign.
Charismatic, this 49-year-old former defense minister distinguished herself in front of Parliament on Monday where she replaced Liz Truss in the face of the opposition, confidently defending the change in economic direction and explaining that the Prime Minister “don’t hide under a desk”. The hypothesis of a Mordaunt-Sunak ticket has even recently emerged.
This is a scenario that circulated in the conservative press this summer: like a phoenix, the former prime minister, “BoJo”, would make a comeback, imposing himself as an obvious recourse. Buoyed by the electoral triumph at the end of 2019, which gave the Conservatives an unprecedented majority since Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, the hero of Brexit is nevertheless hampered by sizeable balls.
His departure forced by a succession of scandals, including that of the Downing Street parties in violation of anti-Covid restrictions, is not so far away and gives him some responsibility for the current debacle.
And, as he embraces a remunerative activity as a speaker around the world, it remains to be seen whether Mr Johnson, 58, would be ready to take control of the party two years before legislative elections where the polls promise a victory. overwhelming opposition from Labour.
Among the favorites in the latest campaign to take the helm of the Conservative party, the defense minister, who had chosen not to launch to devote himself to the security of the United Kingdom, has seen his name reappear in recent days as a possible figure of unity for the party.
Ben Wallace, 52, however, seemed to rule out this scenario, assuring Tuesday, October 18 in the Times want to stay on the defense.