Who will replace Liz Truss as next Prime Minister of UK?

Just six weeks after being appointed, British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced on Thursday that she will step down.

The replacement for Truss, the British prime minister with the shortest tenure in history, will be chosen after the conclusion of a leadership election in the coming week. Prior to losing his life in 1827, George Canning held the record with 119 days served.

Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, gave a brief explanation of the selection process and promised to provide further details later in the day.

Due to the several divisions in the Conservative Party, coupled with a recession, there seems to be no clarity on a replacement, however, these people are highly likely to hold the highest post of the Island Nation.

 

Rishi Sunak

The former finance minister of Britain received the most support from Conservative legislators in Westminster during a leadership race earlier this year, but after defeating Truss in a run-off, he came in last in a vote that included almost 170,000 party members.

When Sunak left in July, many of the members were upset, which sparked a mutiny that ultimately led to Johnson’s downfall. They also disregarded his warning that if Truss implemented her unfunded tax cuts, markets may lose faith in Britain.

Sunak was “certain” to enter the leadership race, according to a story in The Telegraph on Thursday.

 

Penny Mordaunt

Mordaunt, the former defence secretary and passionate advocate of leaving the EU, narrowly missed making it to the last two spots in the most recent leadership election.

For her appearance in parliament on Monday—during which she defended the administration even as it changed most of its policies—Mordaunt received praise.

One lawmaker claimed that Mordaunt had “wide appeal,” alluding to her capacity to win allies across the party’s numerous groups.

 

Jeremy Hunt

After Liz Truss sacked Kwasi Kwarteng, she appointed Hunt as the new finance minister and entrusted him with bouncing the economy back from the recession.

Some Conservative lawmakers have already referred to Hunt as the “true prime minister” after a string of assured performances on television and in the House of Commons, where he tore apart Truss’s economic platform.

Despite running for prime minister twice before, notably in 2019, when he was defeated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the last round, he has stated he does not seek the position. Hunt does not appear to have the backing of a sizable number of parliamentarians.

 

Ben Wallace

One of the few ministers to come out of the recent political unrest with increased credibility is Britain’s defence secretary. Former soldier Wallace oversaw Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while serving as defence minister under Johnson and Truss.

He was well-liked by party members and surprised many when he announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek for the leadership position because he wanted to concentrate on his current role. He continued to desire to serve as defence secretary, he told The Times newspaper this week.

 

Boris Johnson

Journalist and former Prime Minister Johnson has dominated British politics ever since he was elected mayor of London in 2008. He caused problems for leaders like Theresa May and David Cameron before finally becoming prime minister in 2019 and winning a resounding election.

Johnson served as the face of the Brexit campaign and helped the Conservative Party gain support in formerly non-Conservative areas of the country. But a series of scandals forced him out.

Some of his closest friends claim that right now, rather than going back into active politics, he is more interested in earning money as a speaker.

The Times reported that Johnson is expected to stand in the Conservative Party leadership contest. “He’s taking soundings but is said to believe it is a matter of national interest,” Times Political Editor Steven Swinford said on Twitter.