Boris Johnson and former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak led potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Friday, as the potential candidates sought support to become leader of the Conservative Party in a fast-paced race.
After Truss stepped down on Thursday after six weeks in power, those who want to replace her are trying to find the 100 votes from Conservative lawmakers needed to enter a race the party hopes will end its losing streak.
Polls predict a debacle for the party in a hypothetical national election, so the race to become Britain's fifth prime minister in six years is vital to the Tories staying in power. The winner will be announced on Monday or Friday of next week.
In what would be an extraordinary comeback, Johnson, who was ousted by members of his own party just over three months ago, is moving up the ranks alongside Sunak to be crowned the next prime minister.
“I think he has a proven track record for turning things around. You can change it back. And I'm sure my colleagues hear that message loud and clear," Conservative lawmaker Paul Bristow said of Johnson on LBC radio. "Boris Johnson is the character the Labor Party fears. Boris Johnson can win the next general election," he said.
Johnson could face difficulties reaching 100 votes after his three-year term was marred by scandals and allegations of misconduct.
One of his former advisers, who no longer speaks to Johnson and asked not to be identified, told Reuters he was unlikely to achieve his goal as he alienated dozens of Conservatives during his scandal-plagued tenure.
But Will Walden, who also worked for Johnson, told Sky News that the former prime minister was returning from vacation and canvassing members of his party.
Sunak, who proved correct in his warnings that Truss's tax plan threatened the economy, is the favorite but remains deeply unpopular with some conservatives after he helped spark the summer rebellion against Johnson. He would follow him closely according to the bookmakers. Third is Penny Mordaunt, a former defense minister popular with Conservative Party members and now leader of the House of Commons. At the moment, none has formally declared her candidacy.
Mordaunt is seen as a breath of fresh air largely untainted by previous administrations. She but she also doesn't have much experience and, so far, she lags behind Sunak and Johnson in getting endorsements.
A fourth candidate could be Commerce Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is "seriously considering" running, according to her office. Badenoch has already entered the previous leadership contest with a good result despite her relative lack of experience in government. If she tries a second time, she could split the party's ideological right, which could undermine Johnson's chances.
Attorney General Brandon Lewis is also asking his colleagues if he has support, according to a person familiar with the matter consulted by Bloomberg.
Whoever takes charge of the party will have to climb a mountain to try to restore or renew the reputation of the Conservative Party, which has a large majority in parliament and does not need to call national elections for another two years.
"Whether or not a change in leadership will be enough to make the Conservatives really electorally credible is certainly highly debatable," political scientist John Curtice told LBC. "The problem for the Conservatives is that their brand as a party that can deal with the economy ... has now become very, very tarnished, and it may be very difficult to recover it in the space of two years," he concluded.
According to an Opinium poll for ITV, voters believe Labor leader Keir Starmer would make a better prime minister than the main Tory candidates, including Johnson, Sunak, Mordaunt and Badenoch.
