Jeremy Hunt said ‘independent, public forecasts’ are needed on the numbers of medics required in the NHS (PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)Jeremy Hunt has said his ambition to lead the Tory party had not “completely vanished” - raising the prospect that he could bid to be prime minister if Boris Johnson is forced to resign over the Partygate scandal.
The former Health Secretary is believed to be the first senior Conservative to suggest he might challenge for the leadership if there is a contest.
He told The House magazine he was not actively considering a leadership run if Mr Johnson is forced to quit as Prime Minister.
However, he left open that he could enter a leadership race.
“I won’t say my ambition has completely vanished, but it would take a lot to persuade me to put my hat into the ring,” he said.
His comments may be seen by MPs as testing the waters to see the level of support he might get in a leadership contest.
The frontrunners to replace Mr Johnson, if he has to quit, are Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
Bets are also being put on Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, who played a key role as vaccines minister in the battle against Covid.
Mr Hunt, who now chairs the Commons health and social care committee and was Foreign Secretary, lost out to Mr Johnson in the run-off membership vote for the Tory leadership in July 2019.
Members vote by two to one in Mr Johnson’s favour.
Mr Hunt also told The House magazine: “I wasn’t expecting to leave the government in 2019, but I’ve enjoyed being on the backbenches much more than I thought.”
As MPs wait for the report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into a string of parties at No10, Mr Hunt added that he hoped the Government could “weather this storm and there isn’t a leadership election”.
