Grant Shapps has become the second serving Government minister to announce a bid to lead the Conservative Party and become the next Prime Minister. The Transport Secretary said he wanted to end “tactical government by an often distracted centre”.
Attorney General Suella Braverman previously declared her intention to launch a leadership campaign on what turned out to be the eve of Boris Johnson’s resignation. In addition to Mr Shapps and Ms Braverman, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, ex-minister Kemi Badenoch and senior Tory Tom Tugendhat have launched their own bids, with further announcements anticipated over the coming days.
Earlier, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that after “careful consideration” and discussion with colleagues and family, he would not stand to be party leader and the next prime minister. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is widely expected to stand, while other potential frontrunners include trade minister Penny Mordaunt, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, and former health secretaries Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt.
