If the Conservatives form a Government, majority or otherwise, Sajid Javid will presumably be promoted within the Cabinet. If they don’t, he is a possible leadership contender, and will certainly be a senior member of the Shadow Cabinet. Party member readers and others thus have all their bases covered in declaring that he is the Conservative to Watch during this coming year.
Among the former, he took 43 per cent of the vote to Boris Johnson’s 36 per cent. The Mayor will himself be a leadership candidate if the worst happens, back in the Commons whatever turns up – and will play a no-holds-barred part in the coming election campaign. Dominic Raab and James Wharton won 7 per cent each – as much as Liz Truss, a fully-fledged member of the Cabinet.
There was not much difference on this one between the views of party members and other respondents (unlike our future party leader poll). Javid gained 46 per cent and Boris 33 per cent. Raab was third among the also-rans. Over 850 party members replied to the survey. The responses are tested against a control panel which was supplied by YouGov.