Yahoo News Who are the least recognisable Tory leadership candidates?
Embattled Prime Minister Theresa May last week fired the starting gun for the next Tory leadership race.
So far eight contenders have been tipped to step into Mrs May’s kitten heels once she shuffles out of Number 10 but just how recognisable are they?
A YouGov poll has revealed the best known faces among the runners and riders as Conservative thoughts turn to the future of their party, if we ever reach a Brexit deal that is.
Chris Curtis, political research manager at YouGov, said: “As you’d expect, our results show that 93% of the public can correctly identify Boris Johnson – although a significant chunk of the public did respond with the rather colloquial “Boris”.
“But further down the list we start to see how little the public are aware of some of the key contenders.”
Boris
An impressive 93% of the public polled could name the former Mayor of London, though admittedly many referred to him only as ‘Boris’.
In 2016 he withdrew from the leadership race despite being considered a favourite by many.
Jacob Rees-Mogg
The leader of the European Research Group has shot to prominence during the Brexit debate despite being a backbencher.
Much maligned the right-winger is often criticised as being out of touch with the public but 59% of people polled could identify his distinctive features.
Michael Gove
Just behind Rees-Mogg in the recognisability stakes, the environment secretary is well known after holding a number of front bench roles.
Jeremy Hunt
More than one-in-three people recognised the foreign secretary with 37% identifying him.
Perhaps more remarkable is the number of times his name has been ‘mispronounced’ by radio presenters.
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Sajid Javid
Home secretary Sajid Javid is the son of a bus driver.
He is also among the more recognisable faces being considered for Tory leadership with 35% of people being able to pick him out of a line-up.
Andrea Leadsom
One of the Tory’s other high-profile female figures, after Mrs May – obviously, Andrea Leadsom doesn’t register highly with the man on the street.
YouGov reports just 28% people know who she is.
Dominic Raab
Fewer than one-in-five people could identify the former Brexit secretary.
Luckily for him its party members, not the general public who will hold the keys to Mr Raab’s speculative leadership aspirations.
David Lidington
Described by many as the de facto PM, David Lidington is recognised by practically no one.
He has been linked as a possible stand in should Mrs May step down but luckily for him (just 8% of people polled knew who he was) he has said he doesn’t want the job.
