London: After the resignation of Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader, the list of contenders for the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is growing.
The list includes
- Rishi Sunak
- Nadhim Zahawi
- Liz Truss
- Suella Braverman
- Ben Wallace
- Sajid Javid
Indian-origin MPs
Out of them, Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman are Indian-origin MPs.
In 1960s, Suella Braverman’s parents migrated to the UK. The MP studied law in Cambridge. She was one of the persons who supported the country’s exit from the European Union (EU).
Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy’s son-in-law Rishi Sunak could be the top contender for the UK PM post. Though, he did not formally announce his intention for the post.
Apart from Indian-origin MPs, Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid is also expected to become one of the contenders of UK PM.
Why Boris Johnson resigned?
On Thursday, Johnson resigned after he weathered numerous scandals during a tumultuous three years in power in which he brazenly bent and sometimes broke the rules of British politics.
He survived a no-confidence vote last month. But recent revelations that Johnson knew about sexual misconduct allegations against a lawmaker before he promoted the man to a senior position in his government led to Johnson’s resignation.
Next national elections
Under Britain’s political rules, the next election must be called by December 2024, with election day five weeks later.
But it could come sooner. Prime ministers with a majority in parliament can call snap elections at will, and Johnson’s successor may want to seek a personal mandate by going to voters not long after being selected.
However, with the backdrop of war in Ukraine and a worsening cost-of-living crisis, they may choose to wait.
Whoever takes over from Johnson will try to rebuild the Conservative Party’s popularity. Johnson led the party to a big parliamentary majority in December 2019, but months of scandal have tarnished both him and the party. Polls suggest that if an election were held now the Conservatives would lose and the opposition Labour Party would form the new government.
With inputs from AP
