The Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under increasing pressure from his own party to resign on Wednesday, so the spotlight turned to who might succeed him as the leader of the Conservatives and head of the government. Johnson vowed to fight on as a stream of ministers and their aides resigned, but here are some of the lawmakers seen as favorites to take over the party's top job. Liz Truss, who was appointed by Mr. Johnson last year, is seen as a rising political star. She held positions under the former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May and drew comparisons to Margaret Thatcher after she posted photos from a trip to Russia last year.
Ms. Truss is the first female foreign secretary for a Conservative government, and her championing of sanctions against Russian oligarchs at the beginning of the war in Ukraine was cheered by the public. She was strong in support for Johnson after the departure of two of his Cabinet ministers on Tuesday, so it remains to be seen if loyalty might hurt her politically.
Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed as a chancellor of the Exchequer hours after Rishi Sunak resigned, has risen through the ranks of the Conservative Party over the last decade and is seen as a strong contender to lead the party. He has stood by Mr. Johnson's side but made it clear on Wednesday morning that his main focus was public service to the country. The education secretary, Mr. Zahawi, 55, served as the vaccines minister during the height of the coronaviruses epidemic. He was born in Iraq in 1967 and emigrated with his family to Britain in the 1970s when Saddam Hussein came to power. He has talked about how Britain has given him and his family everything and he feels a duty to serve the nation. Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary, whom Johnson defeated in the last party leadership contest, is seen as a potential party leader and is the bookmakers favorite for the top job. After losing the leadership contest in the year 2019 he moved to the party s backbenches but has continued to be an influential member. Since January 2020, Hunt has chaired the Health and Social Care Select Committee. He has been a vocal critic of the approach of the government to Covid throughout the epidemic. In a pivotal 2016 referendum, Hunt initially opposed it, but in the years since has come out in support of it. His public gaffes have hurt him in the past, including when he accidentally described his Chinese wife as Japanese.
He was politically injured earlier this year when it became public that his wealthy wife had avoided paying taxes by claiming a special status and that he himself had been allowed to live and work in the United States for months after he became Britain's top financial officer. He was also fined for breaching coronaviruses lockdown regulations after he attended a birthday celebration for Mr Johnson at 10 Downing Street in 2020. He has made himself popular with the party and with voters because of the role of Sunak in delivering aid packages for businesses and individuals during the coronaviruses epidemic.