Monday 4 July 2022 02:03 PM Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tops key poll of who Tory members want as next ... trends now
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Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has topped a key poll of Tory members over who should replace Boris Johnson as the party's next leader.
The Cabinet minister just pipped his predecessor, Penny Mordaunt, to top spot in the survey by the influential ConservativeHome website.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was the third most-favoured among Tory members to take over from the Prime Minister.
But Chancellor Rishi Sunak - who for a long time was viewed as the most likely successor to Mr Johnson - has dramatically fallen out of favour with the Conservative grassroots following the controversy over his family's finances and tax affairs.
With Mr Johnson still under pressure over Partygate and now facing another Conservative sleaze scandal, the survey results will be eyed carefully by those hoping to replace the PM.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace topped a key ConservativeHome poll of Tory members over who should replace Boris Johnson as the party's next leader
Mr Wallace, pictured at yesterday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, has dramatically increased in popularity during the Ukraine crisis
Trade minister Penny Mordaunt was the next most popular among Tory members as a future leader - but Chancellor Rishi Sunak has seen his popularity plummet in recent months
Of the 755 people surveyed, Mr Wallace - who is at the forefront of Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - was backed by more than 15 per cent of respondents.