The race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister has taken an unexpected and dramatic twist as Ben Wallace, widely tipped as a likely candidate and possible favourite, announced he was not standing.
The defence secretary, who came top in a recent ConservativeHome poll of Tory party members about who should take over from Johnson, said in a pair of tweets that he had decided not to run.
“After careful consideration and discussing with colleagues and family, I have taken the decision not to enter the contest for leadership of the Conservative party. I am very grateful to all my parliamentary colleagues and wider members who have pledged support,” he wrote.
“It has not been an easy choice to make, but my focus is on my current job and keeping this great country safe. I wish the very best of luck to all candidates and hope we swiftly return to focusing on the issues that we are all elected to address.”
Wallace, whose profile has risen with the war in Ukraine and the prior evacuation of UK forces from Afghanistan, and whose unfussy style is a notable contrast to that of Johnson, did not say who he may support in the race instead – an endorsement that will be keenly sought.
So far four candidates have been confirmed, but some have predicted that up to 15 could put themselves forward as the next Conservative leader.
The confirmed candidates are Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, the senior backbench MP Tom Tugendhat, the attorney general, Suella Braverman, and Kemi Badenoch, who was jointly a levelling up and equalities minister until she resigned last week.
A number of other candidates are tipped to declare soon, including Liz Truss, the foreign secretary; Sajid Javid, who resigned as health secretary last week; Nadhim Zahawi, who replaced Sunak as chancellor; and Penny Mordaunt, the former defence secretary.
A string of other MPs have indicated they may do so, among them Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, and Rehman Chishti who, less than a day after being given his first ministerial role after 12 years in parliament, said he was “actively considering” a run.
Sunak, another seeming frontrunner, entered the race on Friday evening with a slickly edited video campaign message posted on Twitter under the slogan “Ready for Rishi”.
But he has faced criticism among fellow MPs for indicating he will focus more on fiscal prudence than immediate tax cuts, with his video taking aim at other candidates who may offer “comforting fairytales” rather than economic truths.
Sir Charles Walker, a former chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, which will set out the detailed rules for the contest, said he hoped the early stages of the race would not be too brutal.
“It is incumbent, obviously, on the candidates, however many there are, that they don’t knock lumps out of each other,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I hope some of the candidates who know they have no hope of leading our party and becoming prime minister actually decide to drop out for the greater good.”
Under party rules the field is reduced to a final two by successive votes among Tory MPs, with the last pair then put to a vote of Conservative members.