LONDON _ As Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson enter their final weeks of campaigning to replace Prime Minister Theresa May in No. 10 Downing Street, speculation is mounting over who would take up residence next door as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
While neither Hunt nor Johnson say they have promised the job to anyone yet, both have been preparing their transition teams ahead of the result on July 23. A number of names have been circulating, including Sajid Javid, Amber Rudd and even Hunt himself _ if he loses to Johnson.
The new chancellor will have a packed in-tray when he or she starts. Incumbent Philip Hammond is leaving some key decisions to his successor, including picking the new Bank of England governor and deciding the scope of the upcoming spending review that sets limits for government departments.
There's also Brexit to consider. Both Johnson and Hunt have said they will pursue a no-deal exit from the European Union if an agreement can't be reached. As Johnson has made it clear he will not allow dissent in his pro-Brexit Cabinet, current europhile ministers such as David Gauke have said they are unlikely to be offered a position.
So who is vying for one of the most powerful jobs in government?
Sajid Javid
The bookmakers' favorite for the job is Sajid Javid, a 49-year-old former Deutsche Bank trader, business secretary and Treasury minister. Currently the home secretary, Javid has similar spending ambitions to Johnson on infrastructure and housing.
He is the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver and would be Britain's first chancellor from an Asian background. Pro-Israel and socially liberal, Javid is seen as fiscally tough and intellectually euroskeptic, positions that are popular among rank-and-file Tories. Crucially for Johnson, Javid is prepared to leave the EU without a deal and has now publicly backed the Tory front-runner.
Jeremy Hunt
If Johnson wins the Tory leadership race, he could make a bold offer to his defeated rival and give the chancellor's job to Hunt. The foreign secretary has repeatedly noted his shared positions on Brexit with Johnson and both candidates have promised generous spending plans and tax cuts.
The herbal tea-drinking Hunt is a polite multimillionaire, who likes to remind voters that he started his career as an entrepreneur. Even so, putting Hunt in the Treasury would be a dramatic peace offering to a rival who has done his best to undermine Johnson's chances.
