The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson is being pressured from stronghold to stronghold. More and more names appear on the list of his possible successors.
The so called “Partygate” scandals about the parties in the Prime Minister’s office during a corona-shut-down Britain, has long made it hot for the British Prime Minister.
Accusations that he intervened to help evacuate animals from Afghanistan while people who had previously worked for the British were abandoned have now made it even hotter for him.
Johnson himself denies having done anything wrong. But now there is open speculation about who can replace him if he should be pressured to resign.
It is his own party, the Conservative MPs, who can overthrow him. A motion of censure can be put forward if 15 per cent of the parliamentary group so requests. This corresponds to 54 letters, writes Aftenposten.
Here is an overview of current candidates.
Well-known critic
For the center-right politicians of the Conservative Party Tom Tugendhat should be a preferred candidate. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2015 and chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017.
Tom Tugendhat has been critical of the government, not least because of its handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He drew attention with his speech criticizing the collapse of NATO in Afghanistan.
The former soldier, who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, has also previously been mentioned as a possible successor to the post of prime minister. He has said he would see it as a great privilege if he were to become prime minister.
Bookmakers’ favorite
Rishi Sunak has long been the bookmakers’ favorite to replace Boris Johnson. He became finance minister shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began and has been responsible for setting up financial support systems during the shutdown. Sunak has kept out of the media spotlight lately, which has led some to wonder if he will keep a certain distance from Johnson.
Liz Truss has been Foreign Minister since 2021 and Minister for Women and Gender Equality since 2019. She has been compared to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In an interview with the BBC last week, she emphasized that she was one hundred percent behind the prime minister and wanted him to continue in his job.
–Former number two
Jeremy Hunt has held a number of cabinet posts; Minister of Culture, Minister of Health and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his time, he lost the leadership election against Johnson. Although he was offered another government post, he chose to leave the government and return to his seat in Parliament.
– I do not want to say that my ambition has completely disappeared, but it takes a lot to persuade me, he said to the magazine The House last week.
Minister of Trade Penny Mordaunt has held several cabinet positions and will be well-liked in parts of the party. She supported Jeremy Hunt in the leadership battle with Boris Johnson.
Has had leadership ambitions
Health Minister Sajid Javid is an experienced member of the government, having served in both David Cameron and Theresa May’s governments.
He has previously had clear political leadership ambitions. In 2019, he finished fourth behind Johnson.
After he was appointed Minister of Health in June last year, Javid has supported Johnson. But he has also admitted that the demands for Johnson’s resign are detrimental to the government.
–“Minister of Vaccine”
Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi has been responsible for the vaccine rollout in the UK, for which he has received much praise. He has become a familiar face during the pandemic.
He has always supported the Prime Minister. He stated in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he thought Johnson was confident in his role “because he is human and because we all make mistakes”.
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