Who could replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader?

Rishi Sunak announced he would step down as Conservative leader last week following his party’s crushing defeat at the General Election.

The Tories were left with just 121 seats while Labour recorded a landslide victory returning, 412 MPs.

It’s the party’s worst election defeat in its parliamentary history and whoever takes over will face an uphill battle to restore its fortunes.

So who is in the running to replace Rishi Sunak and become head of the Tory party and leader of the opposition in the House of Commons?

Suella Braverman

Suella Braverman has previously made her ambitions for the Tory leadership clear, running against Boris Johnson in 2022, losing in the second round of voting among MPs.

The 44-year-old has not ruled herself out of running again this time around.

Considered to be on the right of the party, Braverman was previously home secretary.

But she was sacked by Rishi Sunak after she accused the Metropolitan Police of political bias over pro-Palestine marches, which she described as “hate marches”.

She already had a stint at the Home Office before that but resigned in 2022 after sending official documents from her personal account.

She also courted controversy after saying that homelessness can often be a “lifestyle choice”.

She is a supporter of the Rwanda scheme, which Labour has now scrapped, once describing it as her “dream” to deliver.

Priti Patel

Priti Patel is another ex-home secretary on the right of the party. She is popular among Tory members and grassroots.

She was sacked by Theresa May in 2017 after holding an unauthorised meeting with the Israeli government but was later readmitted to the UK Government under Boris Johnson.

As home secretary, she launched the UK’s points-based immigration system and was the architect of the Rwanda scheme.

But she resigned as head of the Home Office after Liz Truss was appointed party leader and prime minister.

Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch, another politician considered on the right of the party, went for the top job in 2022 against Johnson but came fourth.

She was considered to be one of the most popular ministers among Tory members and is seen as a potential frontrunner in any race this year.

Serving as women’s and equalities minister under Rishi Sunak, she has been outspoken in her criticism of trans rights activists.

James Cleverly

Another home secretary, Cleverly has the most experience of anyone on this list.

He has served in major roles including as education secretary and foreign secretary.

He hasn’t ruled himself out of running for the top job, previously saying: “What might happen in the future I’ll leave that for the near future.”

He is considered to be a more moderate voice, compared to Braverman, Badenoch and Patel, but has had a few gaffes throughout his time as an MP since 2015.

He attracted criticism earlier this year after making a joke about spiking his wife’s drink and was accused of calling his government’s Rwanda policy “bats***”.