Who Could Succeed Boris Johnson? Runners and Riders
- Truss, Zahawi, Sunak are among lead contenders be next premier
- Mordaunt, Wallace, Tugendhat, could also be in the mix
Boris Johnson, third left, chairs a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on June 7.
Photographer: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
Boris Johnson’s leadership is in peril again after the double resignation late Tuesday of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid. Without a clear front runner to succeed him, there are many senior Tories will fancy their chances if he’s ousted.
Sunak and Javid quit their roles within minutes of each other, citing the tone and conduct of the premier and his government. The premier moved swiftly to replace them, promoting Nadhim Zahawi and Steve Barclay, but his allies judge that he’d struggle to survive if many more members of his top team quit. As it is, there have been a slew of resignations from more junior posts.