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Thursday, Jan 01, 2026

Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt: Who are MPs backing?

Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt: Who are MPs backing?

Conservative MPs have started declaring who they are backing to become the UK's next prime minister.
Currently 158 out of 357 Tory MPs have gone public with their support:


*  Rishi Sunak - 93 MPs

Boris Johnson - 44 MPs

*  Penny Mordaunt - 21 MPs

Many others may not declare who they are backing, and more could announce their decisions over the weekend - so expect the numbers to continue to change rapidly.

We are only including MPs who have told the BBC on the record who they are backing, or MPs who have publicly declared their support.

Candidates will require the support of at least 100 Tory MPs.

Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate to confirm they are running so far. Any of the other rumoured frontrunners may not actually run, or another MP could declare themselves as a candidate.

The growing list has highlighted how Conservative MPs have changed their minds since the summer. There was shock in Westminster after Caroline Johnson pledged her support to Mr Johnson - just months after resigning as vice-chair of the party and calling for him to resign.

And former chancellor Sajid Javid has decided to support Mr Sunak, after backing Liz Truss during the last leadership election.


Rishi Sunak - 93 MPs


*  Angela Richardson, MP for Guildford

*  Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham

*  Paul Maynard, MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys

*  John Glen, MP for Salisbury

*  Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton

*  Andrew Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

*  Simon Hart, MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire

*  Anthony Mangnall, MP for Totnes

*  Craig Williams, MP for Montgomeryshire

*  Andrew Murrison, MP for South West Wiltshire

Dominic Raab, MP for Esher and Walton

*  John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle

*  Gary Streeter, MP for South West Devon

*  Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon

*  Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay

*  James Cartlidge, MP for South Suffolk

*  Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden

*  Nick Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton

*  Stephen Crabb, MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire

*  Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester

*  Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire

*  Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire

*  Siobhan Baillie, MP for Stroud

*  Alex Chalk, MP for Cheltenham

*  Rehman Chishti, MP for Gillingham and Rainham

*  Claire Coutinho, MP for East Surrey

*  Jonathan Djanogly, MP for Huntingdon

*  Laura Farris, MP for Newbury

*  Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness

*  Mark Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest

*  Jo Gideon, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central

*  Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset

*  Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark

*  Julie Marson, MP for Hertford and Stortford

*  Huw Merriman, MP for Bexhill and Battle

*  James Morris, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis

*  Guy Opperman, MP for Hexham

*  Victoria Prentis, MP for Banbury

*  Mel Stride, MP for Central Devon

*  Maggie Throup, MP for Erewash

*  Edward Timpson, MP for Eddisbury

*  Robin Walker, MP for Worcester

*  Helen Whately, MP for Faversham and Mid Kent

*  Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate

*  Robert Syms, MP for Poole

*  Simon Baynes, MP for Clwyd South

*  Steve Brine, MP for Winchester

*  Liam Fox, MP for North Somerset

*  Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire

*  Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby

*  Mark Harper, MP for Forest of Dean

*  Bob Neill, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst

*  David Davies, MP for Monmouth

*  Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow

*  Anthony Browne, MP for South Cambridgeshire

*  Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells

*  James Gray, MP for North Wiltshire

*  Sally-Ann Hart, MP for Hastings and Rye

*  Julian Sturdy, MP for York Outer

*  James Daly, MP for Bury North

*  Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow

*  Nigel Mills, MP for Amber Valley

*  Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon

*  Mark Logan, MP for Bolton North East

*  David Rutley, MP for Macclesfield

*  Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South

*  Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire

*  Gillian Keegan, MP for Chichester

*  Andrew Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield

*  Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole

*  Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South

*  Iain Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes South

*  James Wild, MP for North West Norfolk

*  Philip Davies, MP for Shipley

*  Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire

*  Sajid Javid, MP for Bromsgrove

*  Jonathan Lord, MP for Woking

*  John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay

*  Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth Moor View

*  Duncan Baker, MP for North Norfolk

*  Flick Drummond, MP for Meon Valley

*  George Eustice, MP for Camborne and Redruth

*  Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane

*  Oliver Dowden, MP for Hertsmere

*  Matt Hancock, MP for West Suffolk

*  Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge and Malling

*  Tobias Ellwood, MP for East Bournemouth

*  Jamie Wallis, MP for Bridgend

*  Mark Menzies, MP for Fylde

*  Miriam Cates, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge

*  Alan Mak, MP for Havant

*  Jeremy Quin, MP for Horsham

*  Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough

Boris Johnson - 44 MPs


*  Paul Bristow, MP for Peterborough

*  Brendan Clarke-Smith, MP for Bassetlaw

*  James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East

*  Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield

*  Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood

*  Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North

*  Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire

*  Shaun Bailey, MP for West Bromwich West

*  Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase

*  David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale

*  Karl McCartney, MP for Lincoln

*  Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford

*  Lia Nici, MP for Great Grimsby

*  Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP for North East Somerset

*  Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough

*  Jane Hunt, MP for Loughborough

*  Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall

*  Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin

*  Tom Pursglove, MP for Corby

*  Scott Benton, MP for Blackpool South

*  Christopher Chope, MP for Christchurch

*  Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage

*  Andrew Stephenson, MP for Pendle

*  James Grundy, MP for Leigh

*  Mark Eastwood, MP for Dewsbury

*  Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland

*  Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford

*  Jill Mortimer, MP for Hartlepool

*  Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East

*  Ben Wallace, MP for Wyre and Preston North

*  Leo Docherty, MP for Aldershot

*  Jonathan Gullis, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North

*  Holly Mumby-Croft, MP for Scunthorpe

*  Simon Clarke, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland

*  Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering

*  Shailesh Vara, MP for North West Cambridgeshire

*  Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough

*  Ian Levy, MP for Blyth Valley

*  Henry Smith, MP for Crawley

*  Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham

*  Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West

*  Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-Upon-Tweed

*  Antony Higginbotham, MP for Burnley

*  Bill Cash, MP for Stone

Penny Mordaunt - 21 MPs

*  John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

*  Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke

*  Bob Seely, MP for Isle of Wight

*  Derek Thomas, MP for St Ives

*  Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe

*  Heather Wheeler, MP for South Derbyshire

*  James Davies, MP for Vale of Clwyd

*  Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire

*  Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport

*  Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire

*  Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley

*  Kieran Mullan, MP for Crewe and Nantwich

*  John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare

*  Nicola Richards, MP for West Bromwich East

*  Craig Tracey, MP for North Warwickshire

*  Caroline Ansell, MP for Eastbourne

*  George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk

*  Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border

*  Mary Robinson, MP for Cheadle

*  Marcus Fysh, MP for Yeovil

*  Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet


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