Rishi Sunak |Former British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak was the main opponent of Truss in the Conservative Party leadership race and now appears to be the favourite to replace her, CNBC reported. Some members of the party were angry when Sunak quit in July, leading to a rebellion that eventually brought down Johnson. Even though he lost against Truss in the final round of voting by the party members, the 42-year-old is considered to be a serious politician with a safe pair of fiscal hands.Sunak had called Truss’s proposed economic reforms as “fairy tale” economics in the final round of the leadership contest. He had warned that there could be turmoil in the markets if Truss delivered her unfunded tax cuts.

Penny Mordaunt | Former Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt finished third in the leadership race. Some believe the 49-year-old could team up with Sunak, The Washington Post reported. Earlier, Mordaunt had briefly served as the junior trade minister as well. She is believed to be popular with the party’s grassroots. Mordaunt demonstrated her leadership prowess in the last weeks when she defended the government even as it reversed most of its policies. At the same time, she distanced herself from Truss economically.

Boris Johnson | Despite being ousted from office 45 days earlier, there are rumours that Johnson could return to the top job. Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries tweeted on Thursday that Johnson was the only MP who was elected by the British public with a mandate and should be asked by the MPs to return.In the final months of premiership, Johnson lost his popularity due to a political scandal surrounding breaking of rules during COVID-19 lockdown and his links to disgraced MP Chris Pincher.

Ben Wallace | The 52-year-old Defense Secretary has maintained a relatively low profile even while winning respect for his steadfast role during the war in Ukraine. He is popular among MPs and was considered a favourite to replace Johnson.However, he had decided not to contest in the leadership race, citing discussions with “colleagues and family.” The Member of Parliament since 2005 later supported Truss.

Jeremy Hunt | After sacking Kwasi Kwarteng, Truss had appointed Jeremy Hunt as Britain’s new Finance Minister. Hunt is considered to be the most powerful figure in government after he tried to soothe nerves and overhaul Truss’ economic plan. Earlier, the 55-year-old politician served in several senior government positions, including foreign secretary, health secretary and culture secretary. However, he has insisted that he does not want the top job.