Steve Starr
- Britain’s former chancellor Rishi Sunak (+150) is favored to become the UK’s next Prime Minister
- Resignations by 60 lawmakers and government officials forced Boris Johnson to resign last week
- Leadership candidates will go through rounds of voting by Conservative lawmakers until only two remain
Boris Johnson stepped down as Conservative Party leader last Thursday following yet another scandal. However, the 58-year-old said he will remain as prime minister until the party chooses his successor – a process that could last anywhere between six weeks and three months.
With the race to succeed Johnson heating up, let’s look at the latest odds to be the new Conservative Party leader and prime minister. You can also check out the top 2022 Political Betting sites with our best bets on who will run for U.S. President in 2024.
Next UK Prime Minister
 |  |
|
| Rishi Sunak | +150 | +150 |
| Penny Mordaunt | +450 | +550 |
| Elizabeth Truss | +500 | +700 |
| Tom Tugendhat | +900 | +600 |
| Jeremy Hunt | +1200 | +1100 |
| Nadhim Zahawi | +1400 | +1600 |
| Sajid Javid | +1600 | +1000 |
| Suella Braverman | +2200 | +2000 |
| Kemi Badenoch | +2500 | +3300 |
| Grant Shapps | +5000 | +3300 |
The process to select a new leader
When a British prime minister resigns, a general election is not called automatically, and in this case, won’t be held until January 2025. So, instead of being democratically selected by the nation’s 68 million people, the next UK PM will only need to win the Conservative Party leadership race.
Under the current rules, candidates need the support of eight Conservative MPs to stand. Tory MPs will hold a series of votes until just two remain and a postal ballot among the party’s 180,000-plus members will select the new leader.
The conveyor belt of constant shame: Boris Johnson: Fact-checking three years of the outgoing prime minister's claims – BBC News https://t.co/fQ89VYbvZt
— Emma Kennedy💙 (@EmmaKennedy) July 8, 2022
Rishi Sunak opens as favorite
After being one of the first to quit the cabinet, Rishi Sunak (+150) has already released a slick campaign video announcing his candidacy. However, the former chancellor isn’t too far removed from his own scandals. In the spring it was revealed that Sunak’s multi-millionaire wife had not been paying British taxes. The 42-year-old also came under fire for breaking Covid regulations to attend Boris Johnson’s birthday party in 2020.
Many of his economic policies are also coming under fire as the UK suffers from the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
Other Conservative contenders
Penny Mordaunt (+550) was listed as the second most-popular choice to replace Johnson by both the website Conservative Home and a YouGov poll. She has an eclectic resume to say the least, as the country’s first female defense secretary and a contestant on the British celebrity diving show Splash! The current trade minister is a staunch Brexit supporter who campaigned for the UK to leave the European Union.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid (+1600) was the first to resign from Johnson’s cabinet, saying, “something is fundamentally wrong with government and adding “the problem starts at the top.” However, if the Conservative Party wants a “change” candidate, Tom Tugendhat (+900) might be their guy. A former soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 49-year-old has always been one of Bo-Jo’s biggest critics.
Liz Truss, Nadhim Zahawi and Grant Shapps join race to be next Tory leader https://t.co/2XOZZIXGnq
— The Guardian (@guardian) July 9, 2022
Best Bet
Elizabeth Truss (+700) is seen as the favorite among grassroots Conservatives and has been positioning herself for this opportunity for years. The foreign secretary was appointed Britain’s lead negotiator with the E.U. last year and has seen a boost to her public profile since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
