Both Hunt and Javid are former health ministers, and they announced late Saturday that they were running. Mordaunt followed after Sunday morning. Thus, there are already nine candidates in a fiercely contested competition.

Neither Hunt, Javid nor Nadhim Zahawi, newly appointed finance minister, are not favorites among conservative party members, but they are the most prominent candidates to date.

Mordaunt, who is trade minister, is what many believe could be a compromise candidate.

Zahawi’s predecessor, Rishi Sunak, is also running as a candidate. He resigned in protest against Johnson along with Javid, sparking a manhunt in the government that forced the party leader to resign. For now, Sunka is the favorite to take over as party leader.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps and Secretary of State Liz Truss, in addition to Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat, are also current candidates, although not all have announced their candidacy.

[ Dette er Boris Johnsons største skandaler ]

Heavy support for Sunak

Sunak immediately received support from several prominent lawmakers after he announced his candidacy in a video on social media, but at the same time, according to the Financial Times, there was a lot of anger against him among Johnson’s supporters.

Both Javid and Hunt, who announced their candidacy in the Sunday Telegraph, said they would cut corporate tax from 25 to 15 percent. Javid said he also wanted to cut or change other taxes.

Fight Johnson before

Hunt, who has served as secretary of state and minister of health, was Johnson’s last opponent, but suffered a convincing loss and was soon ousted from the government.

Zahawi also promised lower taxes for individuals, families and companies and to continue the education reforms he started when he was education minister.

Grant Shapps told the Sunday Times that he would not call new elections if he got a job as prime minister.

The two of the previous two prime ministers, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, called new elections after the Conservatives confirmed they got prime minister jobs.

Case continues after video

Wallace not posing

The same day, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, widely cited as the favorite for the prime minister’s job, announced that he did not want to run.

– After careful consideration and discussion with colleagues and family, I have decided that I do not wish to run as the party leader candidate for the Conservatives, Wallace wrote in Twitter Saturday.

He further wrote that it was a difficult choice, but he wanted to concentrate on his work as Minister of Defense.

Election in autumn

– I wish all the candidates success, and wish us a quick return to the challenges we chose to face, Wallace said.

There are expected to be as many as 15 candidates, but some say it is important that the list be shortened quickly, preferably before the summer break which starts on July 21.

Party members vote for candidates in a referendum after party lawmakers by multiple votes have reduced the list to two names.

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