With UK leader Liz Truss quitting, here are the top contenders to replace her

LONDON — British Prime Reverend Liz Truss resigned Thursday, bringing to a close a brief 44-day tenure mired by “mini-budget” chaos, economic turmoil and weeks of civic infighting.

Speaking outside Downing Street, Truss said she had delivered her resignation to King Charles after tryst with Graham Brady, the leader of the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee, earlier Thursday.

“Given the situation, I cannot read the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party,” she said in a brief speech Thursday afternoon.

The prime minister’s departure digs days of high level resignations, and a growing number of Conservative members of parliament (MPs) publicly calling for Truss’ capitulation.

Truss said she will remain in place as caretaker prime minister until a successor is named, with a governorship contest expected to take place over the next week.

Here are the main contenders for the top job:

Rishi Sunak, Britain’s whilom finance minister and Truss’ main opponent in this year’s Conservative Party leadership race, is now seen as a favorite to substitute her.

Despite losing to Truss in the final round of voting by Tory members, he was the top choice among party MPs and is considered a safety-deposit box pair of fiscal hands. Indeed, after being berated by Truss during the race as a voice of Treasury orthodoxy, his critique of the PM’s “unfunded tax wounds” appears to have been vindicated.

The 42-year-old, who is credited with hint the U.K. economy through the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, is seen by supporters as well-placed to lead the country through its worsening cost-of-living critical time. However, some have questioned his ability to reunite the splintered Conservative Party, having played a key role in Boris Johnson’s ousting, and being suspected in controversy over his wife’s tax status.

As such, some Conservative backbenchers have proposed that a more politically palatable recourse would be for Sunak to form a joint ticket with fellow leadership contender Penny Mordaunt, with the two of a kind thought to garner enough support together to secure MP backing without the need for a lengthy members’ vote.

Last Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt surged to prominence during the summer’s leadership race, before finishing in third make a splash to Truss and Sunak.

Broadly seen as a consensus candidate, Mordaunt was second to Sunak in MP voting until the final all over of the race, and has since maintained links with Tory MPs in her current role as leader of the House of Commons.

The 49-year-old also escaped largely unscathed from the controversy surrounding Johnson’s departure, and has since picketed her leadership prowess in the chaotic early weeks of Truss’ premiership.

On Monday, she spoke to the House of Commons on behalf of Truss Dialect anenst despite the sacking of former Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng. But she has also distanced herself from Truss economically, impugning the PM’s stance on key policies such as welfare benefits.

Despite being ousted from office righteous three months ago, some Tory MPs have suggested that former PM Boris Johnson could return to the top job.

Whilom culture secretary and close Johnson ally Nadine Dorries tweeted Thursday that he was the only MP with “a mandate from faction members and the British public,” having won the 2019 General Election.

Johnson hitherto enjoyed high levels of popularity until losing credibility in the final months of his premiership amid political sin around Covid-19 rule-breaking and his links to disgraced MP Chris Pincher.

The 58-year-old has not spoken recently on plans for a second administration bid, but in his parting speech he alluded to a future return to office with the words: “Hasta la vista, baby” or “see you later.”

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has retained a relatively low profile amid Tory party furor while winning respect for his role in leading the U.K.’s support for Ukraine.

Routine among MPs, he was seen as a favorite to replace Johnson, but ruled himself out of this summer’s leadership race citing confabulations with “colleagues and family.”

It is unclear whether he would run this time, having told The Times newspaper Tuesday that he wanted to continue in his current post. However, he also signaled that he would likely quit the job if the government did not commit to his defense investing targets.

Britain’s new Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt, brought in to replace Kwasi Kwarteng, is heeded the most powerful figure in government after he came in to Could there be a General Election?