Contenders
Rishi Sunak
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Once seen as a favourite to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative leader
- Reputation dented by a controversy over his wife's tax affairs and being fined for breaching lockdown rules
- One of the first to quit the cabinet, paving the way for the stream of resignations, and the most high profile figure so far to announce his candidacy
- Became an MP in 2015 - for the North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond
- Was chancellor of the exchequer less than five years later in 2020
- Grappled with the coronavirus pandemic, spending huge amounts to keep the economy afloat
Liz Truss
Foreign Secretary
- Only the second woman to lead the Foreign Office, taking credit for securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Iran
- Has held a series of cabinet positions, including negotiating post-Brexit trade agreements as international trade secretary
- First elected in 2010 as MP for South West Norfolk and popular among Conservative Party members
- Mocked for giving a speech at the 2014 Conservative conference on UK cheese imports
- Early declaring her support for Boris Johnson after his chancellor and health secretary resigned
Sajid Javid
Former Health Secretary
- Born in Rochdale to a first generation Pakistani immigrant family
- Became MP for Bromsgrove in 2010 after a career in the City
- Made a bid for the leadership in 2019, making it to the final four before dropping out to support Boris Johnson
- His endorsement was rewarded with the role of chancellor, but he quit after six months in a row over his advisers
- Made a return to the front benches as health secretary in 2021 before resigning again, saying he had lost faith in Mr Johnson's leadership
Nadhim Zahawi
New Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Born in Iraq, Mr Zahawi and his family were forced to flee when Saddam Hussein came to power
- After setting up a firm selling Teletubbies merchandise and founding polling company YouGov, he became MP for Stratford-on-Avon in 2010
- Cemented his reputation as vaccines minister in the pandemic, leading to a promotion to the cabinet as education secretary
- Another promotion to chancellor did not stop him from joining a group of ministers 24 hours later telling Mr Johnson to go
Jeremy Hunt
Member of Parliament
- The son of an admiral, he made his fortune by setting up Hotcourses - a website connecting prospective students with educational institutions
- Entered the Commons in 2005 as MP for South West Surrey
- Joined the government as culture secretary in 2010 and has also served as health and foreign secretary
- Came second to Boris Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest and has remained an influential backbencher
- Scrutinised government policy throughout the pandemic as chair of the Commons Health Committee
Suella Braverman
Attorney General
- Became a minister at the Department for Leaving the EU under Theresa May but resigned over Mrs May's EU withdrawal deal
- The former barrister replaced Geoffrey Cox as attorney general in 2020 and remains in that role
- Has served as MP for Fareham in Hampshire since 2015
- Confirmed she would join a Tory leadership race, saying "it would be the greatest honour"
- Called for Boris Johnson to quit following a series of ministerial resignations
Penny Mordaunt
Minister of State
- Made history becoming the UK's first female defence secretary in 2019
- A naval reservist, she had already served as armed forces minister under David Cameron
- She is a former magician's assistant and head of the Conservative Party's youth wing
- Best known outside Westminster for appearing on ITV's celebrity diving show Splash!
- Formerly a press officer for William Hague when he was party leader and Kensington and Chelsea Council
- Became MP for Portsmouth North in 2010
Ben Wallace
Defence Secretary
- Led Boris Johnson's abandoned 2016 leadership bid, before being rewarded with a cabinet post in 2019
- Served in the Army in Germany, Cyprus, Belize and Northern Ireland where he helped thwart an IRA bomb attack
- The former soldier became an MP in 2005 - for Wyre and Preston North, formerly Lancaster and Wyre
- Led calls for improved transparency and reform of parliament expenses systems
- Won international recognition for leadership on Ukraine
Tom Tugendhat
Member of Parliament
- A former Territorial Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been talked up for years as a potential future Conservative leader
- A moderate who projects pragmatism rather than populism, he was first to launch a leadership bid saying: "It’s time for renewal"
- Chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee since January 2020
- Became an MP in 2015 – for the constituency of Tonbridge in Kent
- Told MPs of the grief and rage felt by veterans at the "abandonment" of Afghanistan in withdrawal by western forces last year
Steve Baker
Member of Parliament
- Elected as the Conservative MP for Wycombe in 2010 after 10 years as an engineering officer in the Royal Air Force
- Following the 2015 general election, he co-founded Conservatives for Britain, a group of 50 Tory MPs putting pressure on David Cameron to renegotiate UK membership of the EU
- A member of the Eurosceptic European Research Group, he later became one of the so-called “Spartan” holdouts fighting against Theresa May’s Brexit deal
- Made it known that colleagues have "implored" him to stand for the leadership
Priti Patel
Home Secretary
- Elected to the seat of Witham in Essex in 2010 after several years in PR for the Conservative Party and lobbying for tobacco and alcohol industries
- Served as Theresa May's international development secretary, but forced to quit over unauthorised meetings with Israeli politicians
- A prominent Brexiteer, she once argued Boris Johnson was the only person who could save Brexit and the Tories
- Rewarded with the position of home secretary in Mr Johnson’s first cabinet
- Recently sided with a delegation of Cabinet ministers urging Mr Johnson to step down
Grant Shapps
Transport Secretary
- Served as a minister under David Cameron and Boris Johnson
- Appointed co-chairman of the Conservative Party in 2012, serving in the post until 2015
- Quit as international development minister in 2015 amid claims he failed to act on allegations of bullying
- Appointed transport secretary when Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019
- Studied business and finance at Manchester Polytechnic and underwent cancer treatment before becoming MP for Welwyn Hatfield in 2005
- Among Tory party members, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace so far appears to be the favourite to replace Mr Johnson.
- A YouGov poll of 716 members placed Mr Wallace just ahead of Minister of State Penny Mordaunt, who was followed former Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
