Several national outlets, including Sky News, the BBC and the Press Association, on Thursday (7 July) reported Shapps was poised to join the Tory leadership race following the resignation of Boris Johnson.
Tom Tugendhat, chair of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, launched his leadership bid on Friday (8 July) via a column in The Telegraph, while attorney general Suella Braverman announced her plans to stand in an interview with ITV’s Robert Peston earlier this week.
