Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak led mass resignations on Tuesday evening of Boris Johnson's cabinet, leading to speculation that the Prime Minister would be next.
At least seven MPs have resigned after the PM was forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row after it emerged he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.
Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club.
The Prime Minister’s authority was also recently damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41% of his own MPs withdraw their support.
The Prime Minister’s fate may ultimately lie with backbench MPs if the Tory 1922 Committee’s rules are changed to allow another confidence vote within 12 months.
Has Boris Johnson resigned?
Boris Johnson has now commented on both of the senior cabinet resignations.
The Prime Minister was scrutinised in PMQs on Wednesday where he insisted that he was going to "hang on" to his position in Number 10.
You can see the full list of MPs who have resigned under Boris Johnson so far in our explainer.
Mr Johnson survived a no-confidence vote on June 6 meaning he didn’t get ousted as PM and as a result, he cannot be challenged again for 12 months.
However, there have been reports that "several" letters of no confidence were submitted to the 1922 Committee on Tuesday alone which could lead to a second no confidence vote.
The 1922 committee are meeting on Wednesday afternoon where members will be able to vote to change this rule and trigger a second no confidence vote.
This would require enough MPs to re-submit their no confidence votes.
Next Conservative Party Leader odds to replace Boris Johnson
These are the current front runners that could replace the Prime Minister if he resigns or the 1922 committee change the rules leading to a second no-confidence vote:
- Rishi Sunak 4/1
- Penny Moradaunt 4/1
- Liz Truss 8/1
- Ben Wallace 7/1
- Sajid Javid 9/1
- Tom Tugendhat 10/1
Sam Boswell of BetVictor has given the latest on their next Conservative leader market
“What a difference a day makes. Previously Boris Johnson was expected to survive this scandal as he has done with all the others. Last night senior cabinet members, Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, resigned. This has further weakened Boris Johnson's political power, with traders predicting Johnson may resign by the end of the year at 1/8.
Sunak's odds of becoming the next party leader have been cut to 4/1. Sunak had a challenging last six months with stories about both him and the cost of living dominating the headlines. Turning his back on Johnson could win Sunak some favour within his party. Sunak ties with Penny Moradaunt at 4/1. While Moradaunt has not resigned, she remains popular within the party and recently topped a YouGov poll of Tory party members."
Who could replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister?
Jeremy Hunt
The former foreign secretary has been a persistent backbench critic of Mr Johnson and has even called on the Prime Minister to quit.
The ex-health secretary is widely expected to make a fresh bid for the leadership if there is a contest.
Mr Hunt was a runner-up to Mr Johnson in 2019, and is among the early favourites to replace him among the bookmakers.
As chairman of the Commons Health Committee, he has used his position to make a number of critical interventions on the Government’s handling of the pandemic.
His strong support for lockdown measures was not welcomed by all Tory MPs.
Sajid Javid
Mr Javid’s resignation was the first to be announced on Tuesday, causing chaos in Number 10.
The Health Secretary is state school-educated and is known as “The Saj” in some circles.
Mr Javid is the son of a bus driver who arrived in England from Pakistan in the 1960s.
He has held ministerial roles in housing, business and culture before becoming Chancellor, and then Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic.
In 2019, Mr Javid made it to the final four in the contest to replace Theresa May but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson.
Penny Mordaunt
Ms Mordaunt is among the front runners for the top spot after she was appointed the UK’s first female defence secretary in 2019 before being fired by Mr Johnson when he became Prime Minister.
She played a prominent role in the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and has previously reportedly enjoyed the backing of Dame Andrea Leadsom among others.
Rishi Sunak
The Chancellor has risen from relative obscurity to household name after he introduced the furlough scheme when the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Mr Sunak has faced more criticism recently after it was revealed that his wife had non-dom status for tax purposes.
He has also faced criticism that he was too slow to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.
Tom Tugendhat
Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee was among the first to announce his intention to stand for leader should Mr Johnson be turfed out – making his declaration made in January.
Mr Tugendhat was a Remainer in 2016, a former soldier and has been a trenchant critic of Mr Johnson.
More recently, he has tried to distance himself from a call by his fellow Remainer, Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood, for the UK to rejoin the EU single market.
Liz Truss
The Foreign Secretary also has serious leadership ambitions and is likely to throw her hat into the ring.
Truss has implemented a hard line on Ukraine, where she has insisted that Russian forces must be driven from the country.
Her threats to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU has also proven popular with some of her party members.
Ben Wallace
The Defence Secretary is popular among Tory MPs that want to increase the UK's defence spending and see cuts to the Army's size a cause for concern.
Mr Wallace, who served in the Scots Guards, remains a key voice in the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He has consistently supported Mr Johnson, but has pressed the case for increased defence spending which could lead him to try for leadership.
Nadhim Zahawi
The Education Secretary is regarded by some as a “safe pair of hands” if other candidates prove too divisive.
A successful businessman, he came to wider prominence as vaccines minister during the pandemic and was credited with playing a key part in the successful rollout of the jab.
Born in Iraq to a Kurdish family, he came to the UK as a nine-year-old when his parents fled the regime of Saddam Hussein.
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