UK PM Boris Johnson is quitting – who could replace him?
- Among the possible candidates are 9 who could be in the frame to replace the beleaguered PM after he stands down, though not all have expressed an interest
- Candidates would need to secure the backing of Conservative PMs, and the final two will have to go to a ballot
Boris Johnson said on Thursday that he was resigning as Britain’s prime minister, bowing to calls from ministerial colleagues and lawmakers in his Conservative Party.
Below is a summary of some of those who could be in the frame to replace him. However, there is no clear favourite and they are not listed in order of likely prospects.
Liz Truss
The foreign secretary is the darling of the ruling Conservative Party’s grass roots and has regularly topped polls of party members carried out by the website Conservative Home.
Truss has a carefully cultivated public image and was photographed in a tank last year, echoing a famous 1986 photo of Britain’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.
The 46-year-old initially campaigned against Brexit but, after the referendum, said she had changed her mind.
She spent the first two years of Johnson’s premiership as international trade secretary and was last year appointed as Britain’s lead negotiator with the European Union.
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Boris Johnson resigns as British prime minister
