Who can replace Rishi Sunak as party leader?

Rishi Sunak has pledged to remain leader of the Conservative Party until arrangements are made to elect his successor, following the party’s worst election defeat in parliamentary history.

So far, none of the 121 surviving MPs have confirmed that they will join the contest to replace the former PM.

Both former leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt has reportedly ruled himself out of the running for the job, telling GB News “time has passed”.

Here we take a look at some of the people who may decide to throw their hat in when the party leadership election is about to take place.

The former business secretary is seen as the frontrunner on the party’s right wing and has consistently attracted high approval ratings among party members in surveys conducted by Conservative Home, a website popular among activists.

Speaking in his count on election night, the North West Essex MP said the Conservatives have lost public trust and the party needs to ask “some uncomfortable questions” to address.

The 44-year-old Brexiteer previously ran for the Conservative leadership following Boris Johnson’s resignation and came fourth despite starting the race with a relatively low profile.

Perhaps because of another former role – as minister for women and equalities – he has emerged as a darling of the modern Conservative right due to his stance on trans rights.

The 44-year-old MP has not ruled out a leadership exit, but told GB News he described what led to the Tory election defeat as a more important task than choosing a new leader.

Ms Braverman left the government at the end of 2023, when she was sacked as home secretary after accusing police of political bias over pro-Palestinian marches.

He continued to make headlines over the demonstrations, describing them as “marchs of hate” and saying Islamists and extremists were “now in charge”.

This is the second time he has left the role, after he resigned in October 2022 after sending official documents from his personal email.

After leaving office he fired semi-regular broadsides on Mr. Sunak’s record on migration, and rebelled against the blueprint for implementing the now-failed Rwandan deportation scheme, a program he once described as a “dream” to deliver.

He stood in the 2022 leadership contest to replace Mr Johnson, but was eliminated in the second round of the election among Tory MPs.

In the count on election night, he said “sorry” on behalf of his party “not listening” to the public, saying the Tories “didn’t keep our promises”.

The MP for Braintree has yet to announce his intentions. “What happens in the future, I will leave that to the future,” he told Sky News.

James Cleverly has been an MP since 2015 and served in the cabinet of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Sunak, becoming the first black foreign secretary.

The 54-year-old replaces Suella Braverman as home secretary in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle in November 2023.

He has drawn criticism for a number of gaffes, including telling LGBT football fans to be respectful at the Qatar World Cup, refusing to make disparaging comments about Stockton-on-Tees in the Commons and apologizing for joking about his wife’s drink at a Downing Street reception.

Former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel, 52, said the Tories needed to “rest and stock up” after their election defeat.

He became an MP in 2010 and served as international development secretary under Theresa May, but quit amid controversy over unauthorized meetings with Israeli officials.

As home secretary under Boris Johnson, he launched a points-based immigration system, sealed return deals with Albania and Serbia and signed a controversial deal with Rwanda to send asylum seekers to the country.

His time in office has also been met with criticism, including being involved in a row with England footballers for taking a knee, and an inquiry finding he had breached rules on minsters’ behavior – he strongly denies allegations of bullying.

He resigned as home secretary after Liz Truss became Tory leader.

Outgoing security minister Tom Tugendhat has repeatedly refused to rule himself out of the bid to become party leader during the election campaign.

The Tonbridge MP, 51, previously lost the leadership race against Liz Truss, when she offered a “fresh start” and “bridge the Brexit divide”.

The former Army officer is seen as a centrist wing of the party, which could prove problematic with more right-wing members of the party.

Mr Tugendhat voted to remain during the Brexit referendum. He was very critical of NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

Victoria Atkins has not ruled out standing in the leadership race but says it is not yet time for contenders to start campaigning.

He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “This weekend is not about leadership.”

After spending more than six months in the cabinet as health secretary, he was discussed as a possible contender by the moderate wing of the party.

The 48-year-old became MP for Louth and Horncastle in Lincolnshire in 2015 and retained his seat in the general election, although his majority fell.

Robert Jenrick, 42, said the Tories had suffered a “devastating” general election defeat. because the party failed to fulfill its promises to the people.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, he refused to talk about his leadership ambitions. “The first step to the wedding is to have an honest diagnosis of what is wrong,” he said.

Last year he resigned from his post as immigration minister, saying Rwanda’s emergency laws did not go far enough.

He claimed “stronger protections” were needed to end legal challenges that had “crippled” the scheme.

That year, he also made headlines for practicing painting a mural of cartoon characters in a reception center to welcome asylum seekers to Dover.

He became an MP in 2014 and was also housing minister under Boris Johnson.