On a busy day for candidates announcing their bids, ITV News reporter Harry Horton picks up who said what Four new contenders have entered the race to replace Boris Johnson, with former health secretaries Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid announcing their respective bids within hours of the appearance of chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and transport secretary Grant Shapps. Mr Zahawi, the newly elected chancellor, and Mr Shapps announced their intentions within an hour on Saturday. That means the number in the running is now up to eight with Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Tom Tugendhat and Suella Braverman also in the race. Out of the running is Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who has announced he will not be standing. Mr Wallace, considered a front-runner should he campaign, said he was focused on his current role and “keeping this great country safe”.
Mr Zahawi, who replaced Mr Sunak after his resignation, was one of Johnson’s newly appointed ministers who called for his resignation on Thursday. The Prime Minister finally announced that he would resign later that day. In a statement, Mr Zahawi said: “The Conservative Party made me who I am today […] under Margaret Thatcher, the Britain I knew was full of boundless optimism and opportunity. “This is lost and needs to change.” Michelle Donelan, who resigned from the role of education secretary on Thursday – less than 36 hours after being accepted – said she was backing Mr Zahawi to be the next leader. Who else will run and how many will join the race? Mr Shapps, launching his candidacy in The Times, said he would end “regular rule from an often detached centre”. The current transport secretary also urged Mr Johnson to step aside earlier this week after a series of scandals rocked his premiership. Announcing their respective bids in the Telegraph, both Mr Javid and Mr Hunt pledged to scrap Mr Sunak’s planned corporation tax rise and instead cut the 25% rate to 15%. They are giving separate interviews to the newspaper, with Mr Javid also pledging to scrap the rise in national insurance introduced when he was health secretary to help pay for the NHS and social care. He said: “I’m not sure I would if I was chancellor, but I’ve been focused on my job and I’m not trying to do other people’s jobs for them.” Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know… The Tories are now rushing to take a stand as more candidates announce their bids. Having launched his campaign on Friday night, those publicly backing Mr Sunack include Commons leader Mark Spencer, former Tory co-leader Oliver Dowden, former chief whip Mark Harper, former ministers Liam Fox and Andrew Marrison and MPs Sir Bob Neill and Paul Maynard. Former minister Steve Baker, meanwhile, backed the campaign of Attorney-General Suella Braverman, who announced her intention on ITV’s Peston show. Former Equalities Minister Kemi Bandenos has also thrown her hat into the ring, with a plan for a smaller state and a government “focused on the basics”. Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee, has already said he will put his name forward. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is widely expected to run with three MPs (Chloe Smith, Julian Knight and chief secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke) already voicing their support for the senior cabinet minister – although she is yet to stand. Another potential frontrunner is Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt. Ms Mordaunt strongly suggested she would throw her hat into the ring, sharing an article on Saturday night by Dr Gerard Lyons, Johnson’s former chief economic adviser as London mayor, who said she would make a “great prime minister”. She also pushed back against those who might want to portray her as “woke” in a Twitter thread early Sunday morning as she tried to clarify how she would define a woman. It was reported on Saturday that Mr Johnson plans to resign as prime minister on Monday in order to run again for Tory leader. But that suggestion was dismissed by a spokesman for Mr Johnson as completely untrue. As the candidates began to make their move, Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said it was up to those running for the leadership “not to knock lumps out of each other”. What happens next? Following the 1922 executive committee elections on Monday, the new body will draw up a timetable for leadership elections. After his tough resignation speech on Thursday, many MPs are eager to see Mr Johnson out of No 10 as quickly as possible, fearing a summer of “chaos” if he stays. See Boris Johnson’s resignation announcement in detail: But Downing Street insisted it would not step aside to allow Mr Raab to take over as caretaker prime minister. Labor has confirmed it will table a Commons vote of no confidence in the government if Johnson refuses to go voluntarily. To succeed, however, would require Tory MPs to vote with them – or at least abstain in large numbers – which would seem unlikely given that it could lead to a general election they are likely to lose.