LONDON: Eight Conservative MPs will vie to become UK prime minister, the party announced Tuesday, with frontrunner Rishi Sunak launching his campaign by saying he would not “demonise” the outgoing Boris Johnson, despite triggering his demise.

Former finance minister Sunak, his successor Nadhim Zahawi, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, former defence minister Penny Mordaunt and ex-health minister Jeremy Hunt all received the support of more than 20 MPs, the threshold required to enter the race.

They are joined by outsiders Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, and Tom Tugendhat in Wednesday’s first round of voting, where at least one will be eliminated.

Sunak, 42, and health minister Sajid Javid quit last week in protest at Johnson’s scandal-hit administration, setting off a wave of government resignations that forced him to step down as Conservative leader.

Javid announced he was running, but pulled out on Tuesday having not gained enough support.

Johnson is staying on in Downing Street as prime minister until the internal party contest finds his successor. The result is due on September 5.

But the main opposition Labour party said it would try to force a vote of no confidence in the government to try to get him out of office sooner.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said that by their actions last week, the Tories had “concluded that the prime minister is unfit for office”.

Labour wanted the vote on Wednesday, but the Daily Telegraph reported that the government has refused time to debate the motion.

“As the Prime Minister has already resigned and a leadership process is underway we do not feel this is a valuable use of parliamentary time,” the paper cited a government source as saying.

“Should Labour amend their motion appropriately, they can have the next business day for it to be debated.”

Sunak, who was appointed chancellor of the exchequer in early 2020 just as the Covid pandemic hit, is the early favourite with bookmakers.

But he refused to distance himself from Johnson’s administration, in which he played a key role supporting businesses and workers during the pandemic.