Tory Backbencher Tom Tugendhat Launches Bid to Succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat takes part in a meeting of a conservative research group in Westminster hall in London, UK, on April 9, 2019. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Tom Tugendhat, a backbench Conservative MP who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Boris Johnson as party leader and prime minister.

Tugendhat was the first contender to launch a leadership bid after Johnson announced his resignation as Tory party leader on July 7, triggering a contest among Conservative MPs for the top job.