Before the Monday deadline, Conservative members of Congress seeking to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister are scrambling to gather supporters.
Ms. Truss resigned on Thursday, just six weeks into her tenure as prime minister, making her turbulent tenure the shortest in British history.
At least 100 coworkers must support her replacement candidates, narrowing the competition to three.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has not ruled out a dramatic return, months after being ousted by a Tory rebellion.
Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, who ran unsuccessfully to succeed him, are both considered possible candidates to run again.
44 members of parliament have declared their support for Mr. Sunak, compared to 23 for Mr. Johnson and 16 for Ms. Mordaunt.
Others, like Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, are rumored to be considering bids, as the situation is fluid.
Tom Tugendhat, who ran in the previous summer election, and Michael Gove have stated that they will not participate in this election. Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, has also ruled himself out.
Candidates have till Monday at 2:00 pm to obtain 100 supporters. If three candidates meet the threshold, a vote will be held on the same day to eliminate one.
“Boris or nothing”
MPs will vote “indicatively” on the final two candidates, with the winner being determined by party members in an online vote that will conclude on Friday of next week.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has been lobbying MP colleagues to nominate Mr. Johnson, and he previously tweeted his support with the hashtag “Boris or bust!”
If Mr. Johnson were to make a comeback, it would be unique in British political history, given that he was pushed out of office by his MPs following a series of scandals.
Polls indicate he remains popular among Tory members, but a second bid for the leadership might prove contentious among Tory MPs, with some stating they would leave parliament if he returned.
Mr. Johnson spent his vacation in the Caribbean. Stanley, his father, told ITV that he believed his son was on an aircraft returning to the United Kingdom, but he refused to comment on whether he was cutting his vacation short or whether he would be standing.
The opposition parties are requesting a general election to determine the next prime minister.
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, stated that if Mr. Johnson returned to No. 10, this would be the “most compelling justification” for another election.
“I am reminded that just three months ago, Boris Johnson resigned because the majority of people serving him on his front bench deemed him unfit for government,” he remarked.
The next general election is not scheduled to occur until at least 2024, and it appears doubtful that this date will be moved up.
In recent opinion polls, Labour has far outpaced the Conservatives.
Thursday’s resignation of Ms. Truss followed weeks of upheaval in financial markets following her September tax-cutting mini-budget.
In reaction, she fired her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and hours later appointed Jeremy Hunt to the position in an attempt to calm the markets.
On Wednesday, her Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, resigned, and a turbulent night in the House of Commons during which she was accused of bullying sealed her demise.
