The resignation of Boris Johnson has effectively fired the starting gun in the Conservative Party’s leadership race to replace him.
It comes when there are still questions about whether his desperate attempts to hold on as prime minister mean he is not allowed to remain in office while his successor is elected.
Tom Tugendhat became the first Conservative MP to launch a leadership candidacy after Johnson’s resignation speech.
In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, the chairman of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs said his party needed a “clean start”.
“We need to make the government work for the people once again, and we need to give them a clean start,” he wrote.
“As public servants, our actions must serve the interests of the British people.
“I have served before, in the army, and now in parliament.
“Now I hope to respond once again to the call as prime minister. It’s time for a clean start. It’s time for renewal.”
Sky News understands that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is also considering a candidacy for the Conservative Party leadership.
According to the PA news agency, it is also understood that former health secretary Sajid Javid, who resigned on Tuesday evening, will decide whether to enter the contest.
But Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Michael Gove have been ruled out of the contest, Sky News had been told.
It is also understood that former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who resigned for breaching COVID rules, is not interested in a leadership offer.
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2:46 Who will be the next prime minister?
“It’s time for a clean start”
Elsewhere, speaking before Johnson announced his resignation, Ben Wallace declined to comment on whether he would run to replace him.
The Secretary of Defense, one of the favorites to replace Mr Johnson, was asked if he would look for the best job while visiting a military training area in the north of England.
“Let’s see what the prime minister says,” he said.
Sky News political correspondent Joe Pike understands that Wallace is discussing the matter with his family before deciding whether to make an offer or not.
In statements ahead of Mr Johnson’s resignation on Thursday, Attorney General Suella Braverman told ITV political editor Robert Peston that “yes” would hypothetically be considered a leadership offer if the prime minister stepped aside.
Steve Baker, an ardent supporter of Brexit, has also indicated that he would run.
While business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng also hinted that he will throw the hat in the ring.
“We now need a new leader as soon as possible. Someone who can rebuild trust, heal the country and establish a new, sensible and coherent economic approach to helping families,” he said.
Read more: Who are the favorites to be the next prime minister?
In his resignation speech to No. 10 on Thursday, Johnson confirmed that a timetable will be set for the process to elect a new leader next week.
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5:24 The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson
“It’s not prudent” for Johnson to stay until the fall
He said he intends to remain at number 10 until his successor is elected, but faces resistance to that plan from his own party.
The leadership competition calendar is expected to take place as a successor to the party’s conference in October.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major said it was “reckless and can be unsustainable” for Johnson to stay so long.
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Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer has also threatened to call a vote of censure on the Commons, with the support of other opposition parties, if Conservative MPs cannot oust him immediately.
Johnson has already appointed new cabinet ministers to replace deputies who resigned in protest against his leadership.
These include Greg Clark as the new level secretary, replacing Mr. Gove and James Cleverly as secretary of education, the third person to hold that role in so many days.
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1:54 When will Johnson leave number 10?
The new cabinet met Thursday afternoon, but news cameras were not allowed to enter.
Johnson told cabinet ministers that his government will not attempt to implement new policies or make major changes of direction after resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.
Addressing his first reshuffled team of ministers for the first time since he resigned on Thursday, Mr. Johnson said his priority is to “keep fulfilling the promises of the manifesto and make sure the government is on the side of the citizenry, on the cost of energy, transportation. And housing and everything that matters to them.” “.
He also said the government “would focus on delivering the agenda on which the government was elected” and that “important fiscal decisions should be left to the next prime minister.”