Liz Truss's time in No 10 Downing Street was the briefest in history and now the focus has shifted to who comes next.
She was forced to resign after a tumultuous seven days in which she sacked Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor after just 38 days and dismissed her Home Secretary Suella Braverman a week later.
Making Jeremy Hunt the replacement chancellor appeared to be a good move, well met by the financial sector, but wasn't enough to save her political career.
Sir Graham Brady has said the new prime minister will be in place inside a week.
Here are the main candidates expected to battle it out to replace Ms Truss.
Rishi Sunak
The former chancellor, 42, lost out on the top spot to Ms Truss in the Conservative leadership race.
The bruising campaign saw him repeatedly clash with his rival over economic policies. While Ms Truss said tax cuts would increase investment and fire up the economy, Mr Sunak argued such moves would exacerbate already surging inflation.
After Ms Truss entered office and unveiled £45 billion ($50.3bn) in tax cuts, unleashing chaos on financial markets, Mr Sunak bit his tongue. He steered clear of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham to allow Ms Truss to “own the moment”.
Mr Sunak is seen by many as a safe pair of hands, having steered the economy through the Covid-19 pandemic with his furlough scheme for workers and help for businesses hit by lockdowns.
Penny Mordaunt
After being knocked out of the Tory leadership race, Ms Mordaunt was appointed leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council by Ms Truss.
The 49-year-old made an impression early on as she played a leading role in the accession council ceremony which saw King Charles III officially declared monarch.
She has held several government roles, including international trade secretary, international development secretary and paymaster general. She was the first woman to hold the posts of defence secretary and armed forces minister.
Ms Mordaunt has come out to defend Ms Truss as Tory MPs express doubt in her policies. She compared the prime minister’s struggles to those faced and overcome by Britain’s wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill.
Boris Johnson
The last prime minister, who was ousted after a succession of his Cabinet ministers resigned, remains a favourite among the party members.
Some closest to him say at the moment he is more interested in making money on the speech circuit than returning to front-line politics. However, the Times reported that Johnson is likely to stand in the Conservative Party leadership contest.
Since Ms Truss succeeded him, he has not directly said he would want to become leader again, but he gave “never say never” answers when questioned before she was appointed.
In a poll of party members — not MPs — this week, Mr Johnson was their favourite to succeed Ms Truss with 32 per cent, Mr Sunak came second on 23 per cent and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was third on 10 per cent.
About 60 per cent said they would back a proposal of a unity candidate to succeed Ms Truss being chosen without members having a say.
Ben Wallace
The former soldier has served as Defence Secretary since 2019. He retained his position in a Cabinet shuffle after Ms Truss replaced Boris Johnson in September.
The 52-year-old has taken a tough line against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February. He has visited Kyiv for high-level talks with the government and repeatedly rebuked President Vladimir Putin over his actions.
When the Russian president threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, Mr Wallace responded by saying such an outcome was “highly unlikely”.
His position at defence could be in doubt after he insisted the department meets a spending commitment that Mr Hunt may not be happy to authorise.
Suella Braverman
Appointed and then sacked as Home Secretary by Ms Truss, Ms Braverman was made responsible for ensuring the safety of communities in Britain, stopping illegal immigration and tackling crime.
The 42-year-old previously served as attorney general and as a junior Brexit minister.
She was the first Tory MP to launch a bid to succeed Mr Johnson in last summer’s contest. After being knocked out, the former barrister threw her support behind Ms Truss.
Among her pledges is to reform the Modern Slavery Act to make it harder for illegal immigrants to get protection from the law. She said a shake-up would allow UK officials to deport migrants who have “paid tens of thousands of pounds for the privilege of being a so-called modern slave”.
Jeremy Hunt
He said again on Thursday that he does not want to be the prime minister but there were calls for him to put the party and the country first.
Mr Hunt, 55, was called in by Ms Truss to replace Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor and his emergency steps to tackle the chaos sparked by the mini-budget were generally well received in financial and political circles.
He was appointed health secretary in 2012, taking over responsibility for the National Health Service. During his six-year stint in the post the service suffered plummeting staff morale and worsening patient experience. By 2018 the annual winter crisis had been replaced by “a year-round crisis”, the British Medical Association said.
Mr Hunt was also embroiled in a bitter dispute with junior doctors over pay and working conditions. It led to the first junior doctors’ strike in the UK for more than 40 years.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Company%20profile
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
SPECS
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OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Easter%20Sunday
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The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
