Deal or no deal: Where every Tory leadership candidate stands on no-deal Brexit
Read more: Tory leadership race: Who are the leading candidates?
With only one week left until Theresa May steps down as Conservative party leader, the race to become the new Tory bigwig currently has 11 candidates competing against each other.
Now, almost three years after David Cameron resigned following the EU referendum, history repeats itself as May's departure means we could have a new Prime Minister by July.
City A.M. takes a look at the candidates running for the Tory leadership, and where they stand on how Britain leaves the EU on 31 October – with a deal or in a no-deal Brexit scenario.
Boris Johnson: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
Boris Johnson is the frontrunner to replace Theresa May, being incredibly popular among party voters.
However, his candidacy has been overshadowed by a ruling that means he will appear in court over claims of misconduct in public office.
The summon follows the accusation that he knowingly false claimed that the UK paid the EU £350m a week in the run up to the EU referendum, calling for the sum to be used to “fund our NHS instead”.
Read more: Boris Johnson to face court over £350m Brexit claim
Nevertheless, he currently stands as the favourite candidate to win.
If he is to win the post, it is likely he is going to push for a no-deal Brexit, having said that under his leadership the UK “would leave the EU, deal or no deal”.
Johnson’s new bid to run for PM comes two years after having already done so after David Cameron’s resignation in 2016.
(Ladbrokes 6/4)
Dominic Raab: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
A former Brexit secretary under May’s government, the hardline Brexiter politician currently stands as the second most popular candidate.
Like Boris Johnson, Raab is ready to lead the UK outside the European Union without a deal, though he told the Mail on Sunday that he’d prefer to leave the EU with a deal.
Raab's chances as leader may have been helped or hindered by his election pitch video going viral on Twitter this week, when viewers mocked his headturn at the start of the address.
Read more: Dominic Raab resigns as Brexit secretary
(Coral 5/1)
Jeremy Hunt: Brexit deal
(Source: Getty)
Having campaigned for Remain in 2016, the foreign secretary stands as a moderate candidate in the context of Brexit negotiations.
Read more: Jeremy Hunt: No-deal Brexit could tip UK and EU into recession
“If I was Prime Minister, I’d be the first Prime Minister in living memory who has been an entrepreneur by background,” he told the Sunday Times, referring to a company called Hotcourses he co-founded and later sold for £30.1m in 2018.
“Doing deals is my bread and butter as someone who has set up their own business.”
(Ladbrokes 12/1)
Rory Stewart: Brexit deal
(Source: Getty)
The former environment and prisons minister Rory Stewart rejects the possibility of a no-deal Brexit completely, having described it as “a huge mistake, damaging, unnecessary, and I think also dishonest”.
The Tory candidate has opted for a more populist stance, preferring to engage with potential voters on the street.
(Coral 12/1)
Esther McVey: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
Former TV presenter Esther McVey quit May’s cabinet in November over a disagreement about the PM’s Brexit deal.
Read more: Esther McVey reveals Tory leadership bid
McVey has a clear stance on Brexit, as she believes the UK should leave the European Union “with a clean break”.
(Ladbrokes 50/1)
Matt Hancock: Brexit deal
(Source: Getty)
Health minister Matt Hancock entered the race for the Tory leadership public last Saturday.
Read more: Matt Hancock joins the race to become Tory leader
He has openly criticised Theresa May’s handling of the Brexit negotiations for what he claimed was a lack of straightforwardness in the past.
As for the Brexit deal, he thinks that a no-deal scenario simply "wouldn’t be allowed by the parliament”.
(Betfred 25/1)
Andrea Leadsom: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
The former leader of the House of Commons has argued the UK’s continued membership in the EU is “disgusting”, as she considers a no-deal Brexit as an option "if necessary".
Read more: Britain prepared to leave EU with no Brexit deal, says Leadsom
“To succeed in a negotiation you have to be prepared to walk away”, she said.
The MP said she is willing to introduce a citizens’ rights bill to protect the immigration status of EU nationals.
(Betfred 20/1)
Michael Gove: Brexit deal
(Source: Getty)
The Tory MP has recently pledged to allow EU nationals living in the UK at the time of the referendum to apply for British citizenship free of charge.
He believes a second Brexit referendum would be “undemocratic”, and has publicly stated that he thinks a deal to be better than a no-deal Brexit.
Read more: Michael Gove becomes eighth Tory MP to officially join leadership race
(Ladbrokes 4/1)
Sajid Javid: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
Mr Javid believes a no-deal Brexit wouldn’t harm Britain’s security.
"Whatever the outcome of EU Exit, the UK will still have the capacity and the capability to protect itself," he said.
Read more: Sajid Javid questions refugee status of those risking Channel crossing
A former Remainer, Javid has since reaffirmed himself as a firm Leaver.
(Ladbrokes 25/1)
Kit Malthouse: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
The politician has been widely credited as being the convener of both the Remainers and Leavers in the Conservative party, and has stated his candidacy comes as a means to fulfil a new-found need for change.
Read more: Housing minister Kit Malthouse joins Tory leadership race
His name was given to the so-called ‘Malthouse compromise’, a proposal drawn by Tory backbenchers to carry out May’s Brexit deal with the replacement of the backstop with alternative arrangements.
“We don’t want no deal, we want a deal, but we will be ready for it,” he told the BBC.
(William Hill 66/1)
James Cleverly: No-deal Brexit
(Source: Getty)
The former deputy chairman of the Conservative party was the last candidate to enter the Tory leadership race.
Mr Cleverly said not delivering Brexit would be far more damaging than exiting the EU without a deal.
However his stance on Brexit isn’t profoundly in favour of a no deal. “I am Brexit tooth and claw, but we need to be pragmatic and sensible and leave with a deal,” he said.
(Ladbrokes 50/1)
Read more: BBC to host TV debates for Tory leadership race