Explained: A Race To Replace PM Of The United Kingdom Boris Johnson

There are many candidates vying to succeed outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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Following an unprecedented wave of resignations from the government and a Cabinet uprising, Johnson ultimately bowed to intense political pressure on Thursday and resigned as the head of the Conservative Party.

In defiance of requests from across the political spectrum, including from some within his own party, the 58-year-old former mayor of London said he intends to continue serving as caretaker Prime Minister while a replacement is found.

Who is going to run?

Johnson's detractors have argued that he must be removed from office as quickly as possible, with Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab serving as interim leader. Other Tory lawmakers insist that Johnson should stay in his position during the summer, saying that replacing him could lead to even more unrest.

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Before Johnson's departure was officially announced, the race to succeed him as leader appeared to get under way when Attorney General Suella Braverman unexpectedly declared her candidacy on Wednesday night.

Although there isn't presently a clear front-runner to succeed Johnson, up to 10 people are anticipated to enter the race.

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and a well-known opponent of Johnson, Tom Tugendhat, announced his candidacy for party leader on Friday in The Daily Telegraph. Tugendhat, a former soldier, expressed his desire to fill the position of prime minister with "new energy and ideas" for governance.

Other probable contenders include former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, former Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, Defence Minister Ben Wallace and even arch Brexiteer Steve Baker.

How will this pan out?

Prior to being voted on by Conservative Party members, a party leader is first chosen by Conservative MPs.

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Candidates must have a proposer, a seconder, and a minimum number of supporters in order to be elected the next party leader. These restrictions are used to avoid lists that are overly lengthy. The 358 Tory MPs in Parliament will narrow the field of candidates to two after they are announced.

As cited by a CNBC report, Mujtaba Rahman, managing director of Europe at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, predicted that the contenders would likely adhere to the promises made in the 2019 Tory platform when describing the expected policies of the next leader. These include reducing debt by the conclusion of the five-year parliament and balancing daily spending with revenue, with borrowing only permitted for capital projects.

¡°Policy on Ukraine itself will not change after Johnson¡¯s departure; his successor will want to remain the country¡¯s staunchest ally. The UK will continue to oppose a ¡®bad peace¡¯ which allows Vladimir Putin to keep his territorial gains in Crimea and the Donbas but senior Tories admit privately they ¡°cannot be more Ukrainian than Ukraine¡± and accept they would be guided by Volodymyr Zelenskyy¡¯s wishes,¡± he added.

What about the opposition?

Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party in Britain, has consistently called for Johnson to resign from his position, accusing the Tories of "wallowing in sleaze," and blaming Johnson for the so-called "partygate" affair and for lying.

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Quoting the CNBC report, Eurasia Group¡¯s Rahman said Labour is likely to be watching developments nervously.

¡°Labour¡¯s private fear is that the incoming prime minister will be greeted with relief by voters, enjoy a honeymoon period and allow the Tories to erode Labour¡¯s average six-point lead in the opinion polls,¡± Rahman said.

¡°Starmer¡¯s failure to build a bigger cushion while the Tories were in turmoil under Johnson may return to haunt him. However, the country¡¯s new leader will take over during an economic crisis hurting millions of voters. This will allow Labour to run a strong ¡®time for change¡¯ message after 14 years of Tory rule by a 2024 general election,¡± he added.

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