the announced departure of Boris Johnson arouses vocations

by time news

Barely days after the announcement, Thursday, July 7, of the future departure of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the list of contenders for his succession is already long. This Sunday, July 10, there were already nine candidates in the running to take the presidency of the Conservative Party, and therefore to settle at 10 Downing Street. A list that is not yet final: other names should be added soon.

Nine candidates… so far

On Sunday morning, Secretary of State for Trade Penny Mordaunt became the ninth contender for the presidency of Britain’s Conservative Party. She joins, among others, her colleague Minister of Finance, Nadhim Zahawi, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Health, Jeremy Hunt, opponent of Boris Johnson in 2019 to succeed Theresa May, or even the current Secretary of State Transportation, Grant Shapps.

It was the former finance minister Rishi Sunak, 42, who opened the ball on Friday, in a particularly neat video, to the point of fueling suspicions of a candidacy prepared for a long time. In this clip which had seven million views the next day, Rishi Sunak promises to “restore trust”, “rebuilding the economy and reunifying the country”.

At this rate, the list of candidates will soon be as long as that of the scandals that have tarnished the image of Boris Johnson. A list which also continues to grow: according to the Timesthe prime minister allegedly, when he was mayor of London, tried to get a job at the council for his mistress at the time.

Tenors are desired

This list of contenders has, for the time being, a few notable absentees. Some conservative tenors have given up, like Defense Minister Ben Wallace, a leading figure in London’s support for Ukraine. While he was one of the favourites, he explained that he wanted to devote himself to his current task and “ensure the security of the country”.

Others, on the other hand, have not yet announced their intentions. This is particularly the case of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Liz Truss. According to the press, she should launch her campaign on Monday, promising tax cuts and sustained efforts against the rising cost of living.

In the polls, Liz Truss is neck and neck with Rishi Sunak. Although weakened by the revelation, a few months ago, of an advantageous tax status granted to his extremely wealthy wife, allowing her to avoid paying taxes to the British tax authorities on her income abroad, the ex- Minister of Finance can always nurture lofty ambitions.

In total, it is estimated that the final list of contenders for 10 Downing Street could number no less than 15 names.

Tense climate among conservatives

Faced with this large number of candidates, the Conservatives are thinking about the best way to speed up the process and prevent the British right from having too long a fratricidal war. So that the two finalists can be known before the summer parliamentary break, which begins on July 22, the 1922 Committee, responsible for the internal organization of the party, should announce an increase in the number of sponsorships and votes required in the first part of the designation process.

The final vote of Conservative Party members – 160,000 voters in the last internal election of 2019 – would then take place by the start of the school year. The name of the new Prime Minister could be known on September 5.

Until then, the climate is likely to be tense. In particular because the attitude of Rishi Sunak, one of the first to have left the government on Tuesday evening, apparently without even warning Boris Johnson, with the Minister of Health Sajid Javid, was not to everyone’s taste… These two almost simultaneous resignations had triggered a politically fatal hemorrhage for the hero of Brexit.

The time should therefore be settling scores this summer. But the debate should also focus on the substance, between the proponents of an austerity policy, in the tradition of Margaret Thatcher, and the heirs of a Boris Johnson, less careful about spending…

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