'Hounds of hell unleashed' as 'bloodbath' Tory leadership race begins

8 July 2022, 07:33 | Updated: 8 July 2022, 07:34

The Tory leadership contest has begun as Conservative runners begin to clash after Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister on Thursday.

Mr Johnson has confirmed he will remain as Prime Minister until a successor is in place despite calls to leave his post immediately, after gaps in his front bench team already had an impact on government business on Thursday.

A new leader expected to be in post by the time of the Conservative Party conference in October.

But clashes between Tories have already started with Nadine Dorries, warning the The Times that "the hounds of hell have been unleashed".

She told the newspaper: "People will shred each other to pieces in the media. It’s going to be a bloodbath."

In another sign of early trouble Boris Johnson loyalist Jacob Rees-Mogg said "Rishi Sunak was not a successful Chancellor. He was a high tax Chancellor, and he was a Chancellor who was not alert to the inflationary problem."

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Michael Gove have both reportedly ruled themselves out of the contest.

Matt Hancock told LBC on Thursday: "I'm not going to be running. I'm not standing.

"It's just a matter of fact, I guess. You can spend your whole life thinking of alternatives, but there's no point in that.

"There's a practical question right now though of who should be the next prime minister, but crucially...the question is what do they need to stand for."

Mr Johnson has already appointed new cabinet ministers to replace some crucial MPs who quit after he resisted calls to resign.

These include Greg Clark as the new Levelling up Secretary, replacing Mr Gove who was fired after calling on the PM to resign and James Cleverly as Education Secretary - the third person to hold that role in three days.

Shailesh Vara has been appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Kit Malthouse has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the highest Minister in the cabinet behind the PM.

Read more: Govt 'paralysed' as Boris vows to remain in No10 until new PM chosen

Matt Hancock says he isn't running to be Prime Minister

But who is going to run in the new leadership race? Here are some of the potential contenders to be the new Tory leader:

Steve Baker

Prominent Brexiteer and former minister Steve Baker, a senior Tory backbencher, confirmed on Thursday that he is seriously considering putting himself forward for the top job.

He told Times Radio that people are asking him to do it, and it would be "dismissive and disrespectful" if he did not heed expressions of support, though he said he regards the prospect with "something akin to dread".

Mr Baker successfully plotted to oust Theresa May as prime minister but, despite his credentials as a Brexit die-hard, he is not a household name.

Suella Braverman

The Attorney General launched an unlikely leadership bid as support for Mr Johnson crumbled around him on Wednesday night.

Previously loyal to the departing premier, she told Peston on ITV that he had handled matters "appallingly" in recent days and "the balance has tipped now in favour of saying that the Prime Minister - it pains me to say it - but it's time to go".

Read more: Boris and Carrie 'plan Chequers wedding party' as Tories demand PM leaves No10 now

Ms Braverman, who was first elected as an MP in 2015, is regarded as something of an outsider for the leadership given the party grandees already tipped to be in the running.

A Suella Braverman for PM Twitter account has sprung up, with Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne becoming the first to tweet his support for her bid.

Sir Robert Buckland

The new Secretary of State for Wales has declined to rule out running as Tory leader.

Asked on Thursday whether he was considering throwing his hat in the ring, the former justice secretary said: "Who knows."

"It's an unlikely scenario but I want to see the next prime minister as a person who embodies the values that I believe in," he said, emphasising his credentials as a One Nation Conservative.

Read more: Chris Bryant demands Tories boot out Boris and install caretaker PM

Jeremy Hunt

The former foreign secretary and ex-health secretary has been a persistent backbench critic of Mr Johnson and has called on the Prime Minister to quit.

Mr Hunt is widely expected to make a fresh bid for the leadership, having been runner-up to Mr Johnson in 2019, and is among the early favourites with bookmakers.

As chairman of the Commons Health Committee, he has used his position to make a number of critical interventions on the Government's handling of the pandemic, although his strong support for lockdown measures will not have pleased all Tory MPs.

Read more: Matt Hancock: 'Risk' of 'Starmer-Sturgeon' deal if Tories are ousted

Sajid Javid

Like Rishi Sunak, Mr Javid's resignation on Tuesday caused chaos in No 10, as the health secretary from famously humble beginnings left the Government.

He further stuck the knife in with an emotional resignation speech in the Commons, with Mr Johnson sat, stony-faced, on the front benches.

State school-educated Mr Javid - known as "The Saj" in some circles - is the son of a bus driver who arrived in England from Pakistan in the 1960s, and held ministerial roles in housing, business and culture before becoming chancellor, and then health secretary in the middle of the pandemic.

Mr Javid made it to the final four in the contest to replace Theresa May as Tory leader in 2019, but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson.

He told reporters after his resignation on Tuesday evening that he was looking forward to spending time with his family.

Read more: James O'Brien's instant reaction to Boris Johnson's resignation speech

Potential candidates for new prime minister as Johnson resigns

Penny Mordaunt

Another front-runner with the bookies - the 5/1 favourite according to one firm - Ms Mordaunt made waves in 2019 as the UK's first female defence secretary before being fired by Mr Johnson shortly after he became Prime Minister.

Ms Mordaunt has many strings to her bow - she is a Royal Navy reservist, the current trade minister and a former reality TV contestant, having appeared on the Tom Daley-fronted diving show Splash.

She played a prominent role in the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and has previously reportedly enjoyed the backing of Dame Andrea Leadsom among others.

Rishi Sunak

Perhaps the front-runner - with odds of 7/2 with one bookmaker - the former chancellor's rise from relative obscurity to household name came as he turned on the spending taps to protect jobs through the furlough scheme when the coronavirus pandemic struck.

His calm and measured delivery during televised Covid briefings, and his viral declaration of love for a popular soft drink, will have endeared him to those perhaps not always plugged in to the political goings-on, as well as his resignation on matters of principle on Tuesday.

But his stock took a tumble more recently following disclosures that his wife had non-dom status for tax purposes, and criticism that he was too slow to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.

Liz Truss

The Foreign Secretary has made little secret of her leadership ambitions, with a series of high-profile interventions and photo opportunities in which she appeared to be channelling late PM Margaret Thatcher.

Despite being a fervent Johnson loyalist, she was nowhere to be seen as the Government crumbled around him.

Her hard line on Ukraine, insisting Russian forces must be driven from the country, and threats to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU play well with sections of the party.

Away from politics, Ms Truss's flair for social media has seen her offer an insight into life outside Westminster by updating her Instagram account with pictures of her relaxing at the beach, or behind the scenes at official events, though her passions combined to bizarre effect in 2014 when her improbably enthusiastic speech about opening pork markets in Beijing went viral.

Tom Tugendhat

The polyglot chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee became the first to announce his intention to stand for leader should Mr Johnson be turfed out - with his declaration made in January.

He repeated his position in Friday's Daily Telegraph, saying he was putting together a "broad coalition" offering a "clean start".

The former soldier wrote in the paper: "I have served before - in the military, and now in Parliament. Now I hope to answer the call once again as prime minister."

Tory MP Damian Green has previously said he would back Mr Tugendhat in any leadership contest, telling Sky News: "You can take it that Tom is going to run."

A Remainer in 2016, the former soldier has been a trenchant critic of Mr Johnson - a stance that would appear to have cost him any chance of ministerial preferment under the current leadership.

He recently sought to distance himself from a call by his fellow Remainer, Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood, for the UK to re-join the EU single market.

Iain Dale takes a look at Tugendhat's chances

Ben Wallace

The Defence Secretary has won admirers in Westminster for his straight-talking and straightforward approach, particularly among Tory MPs who pressed for the UK to increase its defence spending, although cuts to the size of the Army remain a cause for concern.

Mr Wallace, who served in the Scots Guards, remains a key voice in the UK's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and this increased exposure could assist any leadership bid.

He has consistently supported Mr Johnson, but has pressed the case for increased defence spending.

Nadhim Zahawi

The former Education Secretary is regarded by some as a "safe pair of hands" if other candidates prove too divisive.

Indeed, he was the man trusted to take on the broadcast round of interviews on Wednesday morning, on his first full day in his new job as Chancellor, before later urging the PM to resign.

Iraqi-born Mr Zahawi was a successful businessman and came to wider prominence as vaccines minister during the pandemic where he was credited with playing a key part in the successful rollout of the jab.