Resignation of Liz Truss: Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt… who are the possible candidates to replace her? – The world

In a flammable political and economic context, Liz Truss, who resigned from her post as Prime Minister on Thursday October 20, only lasted forty-four days in Downing Street, a record for shortness in British political history. In an emergency, the Conservative Party chose to resort to an express primary to appoint his or her successor, for lack of a natural candidate. With one rule: gather the sponsorship of at least one hundred bench colleagues in Westminster (out of 357 Conservative MPs), by Monday, October 24. This should make it possible to limit the number of official applications to a maximum of three protagonists. The suitors will then be decided by their peers and, possibly, by the members of the tories in the final phase if there are three in the races. The name of Ms Truss’ successor will be known by Friday 28 October. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers After the resignation of Liz Truss, the United Kingdom plunged into a deep and unprecedented political crisis Who are the candidates approached to take over from Liz Truss as head of the British government? Overview of the names circulating the most among Conservative MPs and in the press since Thursday evening. Rishi Sunak, reassuring figure of budgetary orthodoxy Rishi Sunak leaving his house in London, the day after Liz Truss’s resignation announcement, October 21, 2022. BERESFORD HODGE / AP Beaten by Liz Truss during the final phase of the process for appointing the leader of the Conservative Party this summer, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020-2022) was nevertheless given as the favorite candidate of the Conservative MPs. Rishi Sunak, however, remains a strong and likely candidate to take over from her previous rival. The wealthy former banker, aged 42, embodies the reassuring figure of budgetary orthodoxy. He kept repeating during the Conservative Party’s summer internal campaign that unfunded tax cuts risked worsening inflation and undermining market confidence, warning of ‘fairy tales’ of its competitor’s economic program. Read also Article reserved for our subscribers Rishi Sunak, wealthy Brexiter and new strongman in the British economy The facts have proven him right. Barely a few weeks after its implementation, Ms. Truss had to abandon her “mini-budget”, a massive unfunded tax cut for the wealthy, which wiped the panic of the financial markets and the dissatisfaction of the public opinion. Still, the former finance minister has a major handicap in the eyes of the most conservative Tories: many of Boris Johnson’s loyalists see him as a traitor, since it was his resignation from the government in July that precipitated the downfall of the former Downing Street tenant. His desire to raise taxes to finance public services is also decried by the right wing of the party. Penny Mordaunt, the moderate candidate and charismatic figure Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons, during the government question session, answering questions on behalf of the Prime Minister, Liz Truss, Monday October 17, 2022. JESSICA TAYLOR / AFP Also a candidate against Liz Truss to succeed Boris Johnson this summer, Penny Mordaunt, current Minister of State leader of the House of Commons, was the darling of Conservative activists at the start of the campaign, before finishing in third position. Benefiting from a natural authority and an oratorical talent hailed by all within her party, this former defense minister, aged 49, distinguished herself on Monday against Parliament, where she replaced Liz Truss against opposition, boldly defending the change in economic direction and explaining that the Prime Minister “is not hiding under a desk”. Within the ranks of the tories, this former minister of international trade (2021-2022) is a moderate. Penny Mordaunt notably positioned herself during the race to succeed Boris Johnson as offering a clean break with the latter, whose balance sheet and image have been marred by scandals. The former prime minister had dismissed her as secretary of state for defense in 2019, after only three months. If this position of moderate can make it appear as an ideal candidate to help appease the divisions within the party, it is also an obstacle for Penny Mordaunt. She will indeed find it difficult to convince the right wing of the Tories who refuse to admit defeat despite the resounding failure of their champion, a few months after that of Boris Johnson. She also remains largely unknown to most Britons. Boris Johnson, a hypothesis of a return which is confirmed Boris Johnson, during his resignation speech from the post of Prime Minister, on July 7, 2022, in front of Downing Street, in London. KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / AP The hypothesis of a return of Boris Johnson, just over three months after being pushed to resign, became increasingly likely on Friday, after rumors circulated in Westminster as soon as Ms Truss resigned . The former head of government, who his relatives say was on vacation in the Caribbean when the announcement was made, is said to have sounded out Tory MPs about the possibility of a return and was announced on the plane back to the UK. United Friday morning. Still very popular with party members, “Bo-Jo” would present itself as an obvious recourse to the institutional crisis, “in the interest of the country”, a crisis yet triggered after his ouster from Downing Street. Those close to him highlight the legitimacy he derives from his electoral triumph at the end of 2019, during the last elections to date. But if his candidacy is confirmed, it will probably be difficult for him to bring together a hundred elected supporters, dozens of Conservative MPs having ousted him, exasperated by the “Partygate”, the holiday scandal in Downing Street in full sanitary confinement, which cost him his place. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers United Kingdom: but where did Boris Johnson go? His opponents inside and outside the Conservative Party also recall the succession of lies and embarrassing cases accumulated during his three years in office, which have left deep scars and damaged the country’s image. Some Tory MPs are even warning they will quit if Mr Johnson returns to power. As he embraces a remunerative activity as a speaker around the world, it remains to be seen whether Mr Johnson, 58, would be ready to take control of the party two years before legislative elections where the polls promise a landslide victory for the Party. Labour, in a deteriorated and worrying economic climate. Ben Wallace, the highly respected Minister of Defense Ben Wallace, British Minister of Defense, arrives at a meeting of members of the government, in Downing Street, London, October 11, 2022. ALBERTO PEZZALI / AP Among the favorites in the last campaign to take the lead of the Conservative Party, the Minister of Defense in office since 2019 had chosen not to start to devote himself to the security of the United Kingdom. He then supported Liz Truss in the race. But the name of Ben Wallace has resurfaced for several days as a possible figure of unity for the party. His experience at the head of a key ministry, particularly in the midst of the war in Ukraine, and his longevity in the post also contribute to his respectability within the Conservative ranks, as in British public opinion. Aged 52, the latter, however, dismissed the scenario of a candidacy before the effective resignation of Ms. Truss on Thursday, when the situation had worsened for her for a week. He thus assured Tuesday, October 18 in the Times that he wanted to stay in his portfolio, despite speculation. But the evolution of the political situation could lead him to reconsider his position. Read also: Resignation of Liz Truss in the United Kingdom: Brexit, “elephant in the room” Le Monde