How the runners and riders line up in race to succeed May if she loses tonight's vote

Senior Tories are jockeying for position to become the next Prime Minister after 48 MPs forced a no confidence vote in Theresa May.

Mrs May needs the support of more than 50% of the 315 Conservative MPs to stay in office.

In reality however, even if she wins, but with a small margin of victory, she may be forced out of Number 10.

Today's development has sent senior Conservatives scurrying to try and get to the top of the pile to succeed her.

Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, relatively unknown outside of Westminster, is the current bookies favourite to win any leadership run-off.

Mr Raab, a prominent Brexiteer in the referendum campaign, was appointed as Brexit Secretary in July but resigned from the role in November, saying he could not support Mrs May's deal.

In his resignation letter to Theresa May on November 15, he wrote: 'I understand why you have chosen to pursue the deal with the EU on the terms proposed, and I respect the different views held in good faith by all of our colleagues.'

Mr Raab, 44, has been the MP for Esher and Walton since he was elected in 2010. The son of a Czech-born Jewish father who came to Britain in 1938, he is married with two children.

Different bookmakers then have different combinations of Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid as second, third and fourth favourites.

Boris Johnson is the best-known of the chasing pack outside of the world of politics, having risen to fame on panel shows like Have I Got News For You before becoming mayor of London.





MailOnline