Penny Mordaunt, the U.K.’s international trade minister, has joined an increasingly crowded race to succeed U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Her announcement on Twitter Sunday morning followed a slew of entries over the weekend. Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid, both former health secretaries, confirmed their plans late Saturday in interviews with The Telegraph. Two serving ministers also announced they’d vie for the top spot: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Nadhim Zahawi, the former education secretary recently named chancellor.
They join Attorney General Suella Braverman, as contenders within the current government.
The latest announcements bring the total list of Conservative contenders to nine, following the collapse in support that forced Johnson to resign on Thursday. Johnson said he would stay in office until his party chooses a replacement.
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, long considered one of Johnson’s top internal rivals, launched his campaign on Friday. Other runners include former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, who jumped in on Saturday, and senior Tory lawmaker Tom Tugendhat.
