It’s an interesting dance of how leading rivals behave while making political maneuvers public.
One MP who is clearly taking another turn is the former cabinet minister and now the last MP Jeremy Hunt.
Hunt said the Conservatives would lose the next general election, scheduled for 2024, and would vote in favor of the change to the vote.
Hunt lost the lead against Johnson in 2019.
Backbencher Tom Tugendhat, who is well-positioned and could even form a ticket with Hunt, has remained silent.
But most potential candidates publicly supported Johnson staying in the job.
This included Secretary of State Liz Truss, who publicly and relatively soon said she would support the Prime Minister to continue.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has also said the vote is an opportunity to “move forward”. That’s with Johnson at the helm, we have to keep that in mind.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi also expressed support.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor who should have been in the box seat in this climate, also said he supported Johnson in continuing his work.