By Leshi Adebayo
After former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson resigned following a devastating parliamentary mutiny, the stakes are now high for who would take up one of the most powerful jobs in the world.
So far, four top government officials have announced their bid to stand as the next UK Prime Minister.
In this piece, BlackBox Nigeria highlights 5 major politicians likely to replace Boris Johnson who is still serving as PM until the Tory Party chooses his successor.
1. Rishi Sunan
The first Indian origin leader announced his bid to succeed Johnson as the next UK PM on Friday evening via a now-viral video on Twitter. He was the former Chancellor of Exchequer before his resignation in 2022. He served in cabinet posts under Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
His resignation as Finance Minister contributed to the massive resignation of majority MPs leading to Boris Johnson’s resignation. If he succeeds and becomes the leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, it would make him the first person of Indian-origin to achieve such a feat. Reports say the 42-year-old Rishi has the support of several Senior Tory leaders.
2. Ben Wallace
Although, the 52-year-old Defence Secretary has not announced his bid for the UK PM seat, he is considered a worthy contender due to his immense contributions to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Also, in a recent poll by Conservative Home of potential successors to Johnson on Thursday, he toppled the votes and has a scandal-free profile according to The Guardian. He was appointed Secretary of Defence in 2019.
3. Jeremy Hunt
The runner-up to Boris Johnson in 2019 is another politician to watch. The former Health and Foreign Secretary, having lost to Boris Johnson in 2019 and got sacked by the latter is a worthy candidate for the top job. Although, there are indications pointing to the fact that Jeremy Hunt didn’t perform well during his 6-year run as Health Secretary among others, but most likely, if he announces his bid, he will pose a threat to other candidates.
4. Liz Truss
The Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss is another high profiled figure who is likely to announce her bid for Prime Minister seat. Her worthiness and heightened public profile can be traced to her current contribution since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Although, there is no guarantee that she will emerge victorious because the Conservative party could play a shocker move but Liz Truss is undoubtedly famous among Conservative members. The 46-year-old has served under 3 successive prime ministers. She is a strong Boris Johnson supporter but her desire for the PM job is obvious.
5. Sajid Javid
The former Health Secretary was said to be the first member of parliament to resign, triggering the massive fallout of the Boris Johnson cabinet and his eventual resignation. This is not the first time that he would be gunning for the PM leadership position, though he has not announced his bid yet. He has run for party leadership twice in 2016 (after the Brexit Referendum) and 2019 when Johnson was selected.
However, the choice of the next UK Prime Minister is not expected to be made immediately but, according to BBC, a timeline for the Conservative leadership contest is scheduled to be announced next week, and the new leader is expected to assume office in September or October.
