Who’s in the race to be the next Tory party leader...?
With Theresa May’s position looking shaky and rumours of rivals preparing bids for her job, political editor David Williamson looks at who could take her place as leader of the Conservative party
THERESA May’s catastrophe of an election means her days as Conservative leader are almost certainly coming to an end.
Conservative MPs who had assumed Mrs May would be in Downing St for at least the next half decade will now wonder if they have a chance of taking the helm of the party of Disraeli and Churchill. Here are the men and women considered leading contenders for the top job:
Boris Johnson (Ladbrokes odds: 2/1)
The Foreign Secretary could make a powerful pitch to replace Mrs May.
He can argue that the case for a Boris premiership has only strengthened now Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity has soared.
Mr Johnson twice defeated a London Labour left-winger when he beat Ken Livingstone in the mayoral races. This Old Etonian was able to win in a multicultural and liberal city.
His powers of persuasion were demonstrated in the pivotal role he played in getting a majority of the country to vote for Brexit in last year’s referendum. Could Nigel Farage and Michael Gove have pulled off such a decisive victory over the political establishment without his help?
He does have a record of making gaffes and causing offence and past turbulence in his private life would gain a new degree of international scrutiny if he was within touching distance of Downing St.
But such factors are likely to cause less worry in the aftermath of an election campaign in which one of the key criticisms of the party’s candidate was that she seemed robotic and ill at ease in the spotlight.
Just as Mr Corbyn relished his time in front of crowds, Mr Johnson will savour each moment of political theatre.
David Davis (7/2)
Brexit Secretary Mr Davis is not only a long-standing eurosceptic but one of the Conservatives’ most ardent campaigners on civil liberties. As Shadow Home Secretary in 2008 he quit the Commons to fight a by-election in protest against an extension in the time terrorism suspects can be detained without charge.
A selling point is he is not a child of privilege. He was raised by his single mother on a council estate in London and joined the Territorial Army’s 21 SAS Regiment before becoming an executive with Tate & Lyle.
Supporters of a soft Brexit may find him too anti-EU to support while those who favour a crackdown on potential terrorists may fear he will not be hard enough in this area. A further drawback is that his 2005 leadership bid was so uninspiring he went from being the frontrunner to getting beaten by a young David Cameron.
However, he now has an amicable yet energetic demeanour in the Commons and on the airwaves and as Mr Corbyn has demonstrated, evidence of clear convictions can win the respect of voters.
Amber Rudd (6/1)
Theresa May repeatedly placed her trust in this Hastings and Rye MP who famously described Boris Johnson as “not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening”.
Mrs May appointed Ms Rudd to her old position as Home Secretary and she represented the party in the television election debate.
Her status as a formidable Remain campaigner will count against her among Brexiteers.
She only scraped back to parliament with a majority of 346 votes, which may lead some Tories to think if she can’t win big in her backyard she is unlikely to paint the country blue.
Ruth Davidson (6/1)
The biggest obstacle to Ms Davidson winning the leadership is that she is not an MP but a Member of the Scottish Parliament.
Just as it is unthinkable that Andrew RT Davies could helm the Conservatives from the Assembly, the Tory party and the country cannot be led from Edinburgh.
But this will not stop her fans imagining how she might transform the party and bookmakers will happily take cash from people who want to bet on her succeeding Mrs May.
The source of the excitement is that on her watch the Scottish Tories’ tally of MPs jumped from one to 13. The whole of the UK saw her campaign passionately for Britain to stay in the EU during the referendum campaign, and she claimed the Brexit team had “lied” on a host of issues.
This former Territorial Army member is a committed Presbyterian who has campaigned in Northern Ireland for gay marriage and is now advocating an “open Brexit” which prioritises “free trade and economic advancement”.
Her focus may be on becoming First Minister of Scotland but the search is on for an MP with her combination of gusto and confidence.
Philip Hammond (16/1)
The Chancellor’s ego must have taken a hit when it was widely reported he would be demoted when a post-landslide Mrs May returned to Downing St.
He weathered such indignity with grace and is now unsackable. If the party is looking for a leader who is a ship-steadier-in-chief they may turn to him.
At a time when both international security and terrorism are top concerns his experience as a former Defence Secretary will prove useful. His time as Foreign Secretary will also help him make the case that he has the skills to navigate the Brexit process.
His biggest blow came when he had to abandon Budget plans to increase National Insurance Contributions for the self-employed after it was pointed out a pledge not to do this was at the heart of the 2015 manifesto.
He is often portrayed as favouring a softer form of Brexit than Mrs May. This will not go down well with noisy eurosceptics in the Commons and among the grassroots but he can argue that Mrs May’s vision was emphatically rejected by the country.
Mr Hammond may not be the most charismatic frontbencher but he has a ready wit and courteous manner. People might look at his resume, think of another understated former Chancellor and Foreign Secretary who went on to deliver a stunning election victory, and wonder if Mr Hammond might be the John Major of the 21st century.