Eight candidates will vie for Boris Johnson's seat as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party, the committee in charge of organizing the contest for the posts said.

The candidates include Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak; Foreign Secretary Liz Truss; International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt; backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat; Attorney General Suella Braverman; newly appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi; former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch; and former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Reuters reports.

MPs Sajid Javid and Rehman Chishti had expressed their intention to run, but withdrew before the final list of candidates was announced. Candidates had to receive at least 20 nominations to make the list.

The first round of voting begins on Wednesday.