Who will reside at 10 Downing Street? Nine Conservative MPs are launched this Sunday in the United Kingdom to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a campaign where many candidates are keen to mark their difference from the former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak on tax issues.
Very open, the competition which will open for the head of the conservative party – and therefore for Downing Street, the Tories being the majority in the House of Commons – announces a particularly lively summer, with its share of revelations and low blows.
Penny Mordaunt wants to focus on the ‘ship’
Last to launch this Sunday morning, the Secretary of State for International Trade Penny Mordaunt49 years.
This former Navy reservist, who was the first woman to hold the post of Minister of Defense in 2019, insisted on the need for the public debate “to revolve a little less around the leader”, to focus on the “ vessel “. She is considered a good speaker.
A declared desire to extract himself from the endless succession of scandals which have marred Boris Johnson’s mandate, until he left him no choice but to resign on Thursday, after an avalanche of resignations in his government.
Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid, for lower taxes
Saturday evening, the former ministers jeremy hunt – who had faced Boris Johnson in 2019 for the leadership of the Conservative Party – and Sajid Javid in turn announced their candidacies in the columns of the conservative newspaper Sunday Telegraph.
Both have insisted on their tax reduction projects, distancing themselves from the line of Rishi Sunak who wants to wait for the consolidation of public finances before considering embarking on such a path, in a United Kingdom Kingdom plagued by inflation not seen in 40 years.
“Without tax cuts we will not have growth,” said Sajid Javid on the BBC on Sunday, who by announcing his resignation from the government on Tuesday launched the haemorrhage – some sixty departures in all – which turned out to be fatal to Boris Johnson.
Sajid Javid, 52, voted in 2016 to remain in the European Union but later rallied to the cause of Brexit. He is the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver and became a renowned banker before entering politics.
A comrade of Boris Johnson and David Cameron at Oxford University, Jeremy Hunt, 55, who taught English in Japan, is one of the few figures to have openly challenged the Prime Minister during the vote of no confidence last month. However, he is considered uncharismatic. He announced his candidacy on Saturday.
Rishi Sunak, and the “reconstruction of the economy”
Very popular for the multiple economic support measures deployed at the height of the pandemic, Rishi Sunak, 42 years old, was for a time weakened by the revelation of the recourse of his extremely wealthy wife to an advantageous tax system. In a campaign clip that made seven million views on Saturday, the former finance minister promises to “restore confidence”, “rebuild the economy and reunify the country”.
Rishi Sunak, whose grandparents emigrated from northern India to the UK in the 1960s, was an analyst at Goldman Sachs and then employed in hedge funds. He was elected MP in 2015. The 42-year-old Brexit advocate became finance minister in 2020 but has been criticized for his insufficient action against soaring prices.
First heavyweight to have launched, it seems to have succeeded in bouncing back and enjoys many support from deputies. But he risks suffering the wrath of Camp Johnson who suspects him of treason. Rishi Sunak apparently did not notify the Prime Minister before leaving the government.
Liz Truss, a candidacy that was long overdue
His candidacy was beyond doubt. Her outspokenness and willingness to meddle in the culture wars has made Foreign Secretary Liz Truss quite popular with the Tory base.
Liz Truss, 46, was given the delicate post as a reward for her work as Minister for International Trade. In this position, this champion of free trade, who had voted in favor of remaining in the European Union before changing sides, concluded a series of post-Brexit trade agreements.
His hard line on invading Ukraine or his threats to break away from the EU deal over Northern Ireland appeal to some conservatives.
With the public support of several deputies, she declared herself a candidate on Sunday evening.
Nadhim Zahawi caught up in a tax investigation
Another serious candidate, Nadhim Zahawi, who as Secretary of State had piloted the British anti-Covid vaccination program, before moving last week from the Ministry of Education to that of Finance, sees his start to the campaign weighed down by the revelation in the press of a tax investigation targeting him. He assured that all his financial interests have been duly declared.
Born in Baghdad to Kurdish parents in June 1967, he immigrated to the UK aged nine. He founded the market research company YouGov in 2000, resigned ten years later to enter politics and was elected as an MP.
About fifteen candidates, a winner expected in early September
In total, the authorities of the party anticipate about fifteen candidacies, an influx which augurs an increase in the thresholds in terms of sponsorships or number of votes in the first part of the process.
But the treasurer of the 1922 Committee, responsible for the internal organization of the party, said he was “confident” on Sunday on LBC radio that the two finalists will be known by July 20.
Despite this tight schedule, the objective mentioned is to ensure that the final vote, open only to members of the Conservative Party, makes it possible to designate the winner by the beginning of September.
The other candidates
The other competitors, whose chances of success appear much lower, are the Minister of Transport Grant ShappsChairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhatas well as the attorney general – responsible for advising the government on a legal basis – Suella Bravermanand the former Secretary of State for Equality Kemi Badenoch.