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Send tips here | Sign up for free | Listen to the Playbook and view in your browser TODAY: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot this morning while delivering a speech in the western city of Nara, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed at a news conference. Japan’s NHK broadcaster said Abe, 67, who was campaigning for a local candidate ahead of this weekend’s upper house election, was shot in the back with a shotgun and was showing no vital signs. Last here. Good Friday morning. A big thank you to the entire Playbook crew — Eleni Courea, Emilio Casalicchio, Annabelle Dickson and Andrew McDonald — for presenting this week. Emilio is with you on Monday.

DRIVING THE DAY

PRIME MINISTER WANTED: The starting gun has been fired in the contest to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and UK prime minister after Boris Johnson finally dropped it – sort of. His resignation came after a week of bitter turmoil and outright mutiny that tore at the seams of the Conservative Party. And crucially, for No. 10 St. Augustine, he has promised to go, but not yet. He will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new leader is found, which could take until the autumn. Meanwhile, he has vowed not to pursue any major change of direction, including on taxes, and can only see the party embark on one of its most unpredictable leadership struggles for a long time. The Playbook will walk you through how the whole thing will work before presenting a brief guide to your potential new overlords. Major concerns: In his resignation speech outside No 10, Johnson pledged to serve until there is a new leader. Perhaps inevitably, even the manner of his exit sparked controversy. Former Prime Minister John Major – possibly sensing that there will soon be even less demand for his strongly worded interventions – was straight out of the blocks, calling for Johnson to step down immediately and Dominic Raab to be appointed caretaker. Some Conservative MPs have since repeated it, including former ministers George Freeman and Andrea Leadsom. Message from Lloyds Banking Group: As one of the largest financiers in the UK housing industry, we are committed to expanding the availability and affordability of safe, quality and sustainable homes. Whether that’s supporting our customers, housebuilders, developers or housing association customers – it’s all part of our focus on helping Britain prosper. Learn more. For God’s sake, go: In that vein, one Tory backbencher told Playbook: “He can’t go on with the ‘it’s all about Boris’ show. No one trusts him to make the right decision for the country or the party.” A former cabinet minister said: “For the good of the country, we need to draw a line in this term of government and move on quickly. It took our party and government to a dangerous place on Wednesday. He really shouldn’t be playing a long outing on his own terms now.” Reading the room: Opinion is more nuanced among most party members. A senior MP who called for Johnson’s resignation this week said: “Some colleagues are in vengeful ‘kill the pig’ Lord of the Flies mode. They should recognize that dancing on his grave is quite inappropriate and we should let him go with dignity once a new leader is elected.” One minister noted that most of the comments on his Facebook page were from die-hard Leave voters who believe Johnson has been stitched up by his party. About this: The only thing MPs can agree on is that the leadership election should be held as soon as possible. POLITICO’s Emilio Casalicchio has a good picture of how it will work, with the new 1922 committee executive approving the process on Monday. The expectation is that MPs will narrow the field to the final two before the summer and a new leader will be elected before Parliament returns in September. Seb Payne hears the same in the FT. Once in 1922 the plan is agreed, it goes to the Conservative Party board for signature and they could argue that it should be a longer campaign with prosecutions across the country. Is Hustings Necessary? A senior party activist tells Emilio that he and others will fight to escape: “I think we should have a full contest and that it should go to the members and it shouldn’t be a coronation.” In his letter, Major suggested bypassing the base altogether to speed things up, but as Camilla Tominey writes in the Telegraph, some fear a repeat of what happened to Theresa May, who was not elected by members. POLITICO’s Tim Ross has a guide to watching it all go down. Here we go again: The country will therefore get its third prime minister in a row originally chosen by the Conservative Party due to circumstances that have more to do with the Conservative Party than, say, a general election, in a process that has been overseen since 1922 commission. Graham Brady is having one hell of a season. WIDE OPEN RACE: When it comes to choosing the country’s next leader, almost anything could happen. As things stand, MPs only need the support of eight other MPs to nominate themselves, but the Sun’s Kate Ferguson suggests that 1922 could tweak the rules and increase the requirement to 20 names. As James Forsythe puts it in the Spectator director, “Tory leadership contests are always more like the Grand National than the Derby: crowded, unpredictable and with the favorite often underwhelming.” That’s right: Playbook hears Priti Patel is mulling a leadership bid. She has long been a favorite of the Tory base and may feel that this is her moment, although her time in charge of the Home Office has not convinced everyone that she is a steady hand. Dream ticket: Some Conservative campaigners and aides spoke with dismay to Playbook about the idea of ​​a joint organization by Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak, driven by their shared love of Star Wars, with one adviser stressing that “the Tory Party he really needs to heal’ and become more disciplined after years of division. However, the indications so far are that Javid wants to make the most of his current rising stock and strike out on his own. In that vein, POLITICO’s Cristina Gallardo has put together a handy guide to the Tory Party heavy hitters being featured. Ben Wallace: Early favourite. The 52-year-old defense secretary has built his reputation through a strong and politicized response to the war in Ukraine as well as an emotional defense of Afghans who helped British troops in Afghanistan when they evacuated the country last year. He is unusual among senior Tories in that he did not go to university, instead attending military school and joining the Scots Guards. His position as defense secretary came as a reward for running Johnson’s 2019 Conservative leadership campaign. Sajid Javid: The first cabinet minister to rise on Tuesday, Javid seems to have read the mood of the party perfectly. His decision to resign as health secretary triggered the flood of resignations that eventually toppled Johnson. The son of Pakistani immigrants, Javid attended a state-funded school and worked in finance before entering politics. Javid has led six government departments under the last three Tory prime ministers, but the most common criticism leveled at him is that he has not been in a cabinet long enough to make an impact. Rishi Sunak: The former chancellor, who quit nine minutes after Javid on Tuesday, has bounced back after his wife’s tax scandal and is now a serious frontrunner to become leader. His youth — he’s 42 — is seen as both a pro and a con. He already held the second-highest post in the government, in which he tried to keep public spending and taxes low despite constant pressure from Johnson to waste cash in the wake of the pandemic. But “Dishy Rishi” – as he has been nicknamed for his stylish personal brand – may have to convince his fellow Tories that he has enough political buzz. Liz Truss: The Foreign Secretary is a Tory favorite but will have to work hard to win the support of the parliamentary party. Tras supported remaining in the EU in the referendum and has been trying to prove her Eurosceptic credentials ever since. Truss began preparing for a leadership bid months ago, with an aggressive social media campaign and reaching out to Brexit hardliners in the Tory Party, to whom she showed the Northern Ireland Protocol bill before introducing it to parliament . The daughter of left-wing parents, Truss comes from the libertarian wing of the Conservatives and has tried to mold herself in Thatcher’s image. Nadhim Zahawi: It’s been a quick rise to the top for the shrewd businessman who only became a minister for the first time in 2018. You’ll know the story by now: born in Iraq, moved to the UK as a refugee in the 70s, built YouGov from the begining. Emilio’s POLITICO profile had more nuggets – including that Zahawi won £10,000 betting on Will Young winning Pop Idol. It is hard to find anyone who questions his success as vaccine minister. But it is much easier to find critics baffled by the 24 hours that saw him keep Johnson alive by storming into the Treasury, before joining a delegation of ministers calling on the prime minister to resign the next day. Will Zahawi be able to offer tax cuts as an audition for the top job? Penny Mordaunt: Early in her career, one of Mordaunt’s main claims to fame was the time she donned a swimsuit for a diving reality TV show. The Trade Secretary and former Defense Secretary is popular among MPs on the red wall because of her Brexiter…