Despite surviving an internal vote of no confidence on Monday, Boris Johnson’s position as head of the British government is considered very dangerous. With no clear successor in the Conservative Party, several names are circulating as possible candidates to replace him.
Jeremy Hunt
Jeremy Hunt, 55, former Secretary of State and Health, lost the 2019 Conservative leadership to Boris Johnson and presented himself as a “serious” alternative.
Since then, he has been poised to seek re-election, build support, and stay out of the Johnson administration.
A colleague of Johnson’s and former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron of Oxford University, Hunt, who teaches English in Japan and is fluent in Japanese, is chair of the Parliamentary Health Committee.
He has the “good guy” image, although some may think he lacks charisma.
Rishi Altar
The first Hindu to hold the post, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak was once the hot favorite to replace Johnson, but lost legitimacy after a series of scandals.
The lawsuits revolved around the advantageous tax situation that allowed the Indian billionaire wife to avoid paying millions in taxes in the UK, and the US residency that Sunak held until last year.
A former Goldman Sachs analyst and hedge fund employee, married to the daughter of Sunak, an Indian businessman whose grandparents immigrated to the UK from northern India in the 1960s, he amassed a substantial personal fortune before becoming an MP in 2015.
The 42-year-old Brexit advocate was elected finance minister in 2020, an important post amid the pandemic, but has been criticized for doing little to deal with the stifling cost of living crisis.
Liz Cage
Without softening the words and being too critical of the “evoked” protest movements, Secretary of State Liz Truss has become very popular within the Conservative Party ranks.
The 46-year-old woman, who has worked in the energy and telecommunications industries for ten years, was named head of diplomacy in recognition of her work as international trade minister during the UK’s departure from the European Union.
In this position, the major free trade advocate who voted to stay in the EU before switching sides has managed to close a number of key trade deals post-Brexit.
Sajid Javid
Health Minister Sajid Javid, the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver, was a famous banker before Johnson became finance minister.
He resigned in 2020 and returned to government a year ago.
Javid, 52, had voted to stay in the EU for economic benefits in 2016, but later joined the Brexit cause.
Priti Patel
Home Secretary Priti Patel, 50, is the most conservative of Johnson’s ministers. A staunch supporter of Brexit, she also voted against same-sex marriage.
He was born in London to a Ugandan-Indian family and followed a very strict line with immigration.
Despite his promises, the number of illegal immigrants from the English Channel is currently at record highs.
A big fan of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and accused of bullying by her employees in the workplace, Patel worked in public relations before entering politics.
Tom Tugendhat
The chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee was the first to publicly announce his intention to run if Boris Johnson resigns or is removed from office.
A former British Army officer, he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The son of an English father and a French mother, 48-year-old Tom Tugendhat is perfectly bilingual.
penny mourdaunt
Penny Mordaunt, 49, former Defense Secretary and current Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, was one of the names in the pro-Brexit campaign in 2016 and has since worked to negotiate trade deals for the UK.
Considered a good speaker, he is presumed to be a union candidate who could gain support from different wings of the Conservative Party.
source: Noticias
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