The UK Conservative Party wants to expedite the protracted internal process of choosing his successor

*Paromita Das

After a brutal power struggle to remove its leader, the ruling Conservative Party in Britain’s parliament started vying to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Following an unprecedented mutiny, Mr. Johnson declared on Thursday that he would step down as soon as a replacement was found, setting off a search for his successor. Mr. Johnson, who was deposed by numerous scandals, clung to power for several days this week before a wave of resignations forced him to step down.

Officials from the Conservative Party want to speed up the lengthy internal process of selecting his successor, which involves multiple rounds of voting by Conservative lawmakers and paying party members, in order to quickly move past the regicide. They anticipate finding a new prime minister by September.

A number of lawmakers started setting up their booths on Friday and are anticipated to promote various variations of an old Conservative recipe, including low taxes, a promise to make sure Brexit is a success, and a guarantee of a stable government.

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, whose resignation on Tuesday sparked Mr. Johnson’s removal, is the most well-known candidate to have so far announced a bid. Mr. Sunak presents himself as the candidate for stability following Mr. Johnson’s unsettling Presidency. The catchphrase of Mr. Sunak is “Let’s rebuild trust.”

Sunak claimed that someone must seize the initiative and take the appropriate actions in a campaign video that was posted to Twitter. I’m running to be your Prime Minister and the next leader of the Conservative Party because of this.

Rishi Sunak, 49, originally from Pujab, will become the first British Prime Minister of Indian descent if he wins the top job.

Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy, is one of the front-runners for the top position as the search for Boris Johnson’s successor gets under way. Sunak received praise for an economic rescue plan during the coronavirus pandemic that included a programme to keep jobs, which prevented mass unemployment.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation after a number of other ministers left the cabinet as a result of Sunak’s resignation.

A Conservative Party committee is expected to announce the guidelines and schedule for the election to replace Johnson the following week.

Sunak is not the only politician of Indian descent running to succeed Johnson, though.

Unlikely candidates like Suella Braverman, the attorney general, and Tom Tugendhat, the head of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of parliament, have both made their campaigns public.

In anticipation of entering the race, newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi outlined his plans to put more money in voters’ pockets. In an interview with the UK’s Sun newspaper, he admitted, “I naturally want them to keep more of their money.”

A sizable portion of Mr. Johnson’s former cabinet is anticipated to serve. In an early poll of Tory members, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Mr. Johnson. When asked if he would take over the vacant position prior to Johnson’s resignation on Thursday morning, Mr. Wallace responded, “Let’s see what the prime minister says.” The party has an “obligation to keep this country safe,” Mr. Wallace said on Twitter, adding that “the public wouldn’t forgive us if we left these Offices of State empty.”

Penny Mordaunt, Minister of State for trade and a potential successor to Mr. Johnson, retweeted Mr. Wallace’s message and uttered the phrase “Absolutely correct.”
Others are putting themselves forward as a counterbalance to Mr. Johnson’s disorganised manner. Mr. Tugendhat, a former soldier, declared that it was time for a fresh start. Around 15 candidates, including several former cabinet members, are anticipated to run for the position of leader of the Tories, as the Conservatives are known.

While the war in Ukraine rages on and inflation rises, the British government is paralyzed by the search for Mr. Johnson’s replacement. To hold down the fort until a new Prime Minister is found, Mr. Johnson has started putting together a new team. To remove him, about 50 ministers and aides resigned.

But given the level of mistrust that Conservative lawmakers have for Mr. Johnson following his failed bid to retain his position, some lawmakers want him to step down immediately. They are concerned that he might introduce unpopular policies or try to persuade Conservative lawmakers to change their minds and keep him in the coming months.

On Thursday, Mr. Johnson informed his cabinet that he would not be implementing any significant new policies. The third education secretary this week, James Cleverly, an old ally of Mr. Johnson, said, “He said he will stay until the process is complete, he’s not put a timeline on this.”

All of the candidates will have to strike a delicate balance between preserving Mr. Johnson’s legacy—whom many of them once fervently supported—and coming across as a new face. They will need to position themselves as candidates for renewal given that the Conservative Party has been in power for 12 years. The Tories, who had lagged the opposition Labor Party in the polls before Mr. Johnson announced his resignation, may rise under the new leadership.

As the entire world has been watching this election, it will be interesting to see who the next Prime Minister of the UK becomes.