Successors to Johnson seek to stand out in crowded UK field

LONDON (AP) — Potential successors to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rushed to differentiate themselves from an increasingly crowded field on Sunday as the governing Conservative Party was expected to set a tight timetable for the election.

Candidates released slick campaign videos on social media and appeared on Sunday morning political talk shows to make their cases to the public. Several promised tax cuts, appealing to rank-and-file Conservative party members for whom low taxes are a mantra.

Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday after more than 50 members of his Cabinet and lower level officials resigned from his government, many citing concerns that his ethical lapses had undermined the government’s credibility.

That triggered the internal Conservative Party contest to pick a new party leader. Under Britain’s parliamentary government, the next party leader will automatically become prime minister without the need for a general election.

International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was the latest to announce her bid on Sunday, saying the U.K. “needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship.” Former health secretaries Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt joined one of the most open leadership races in recent history late Saturday.

Other contenders include frontrunner Rishi Sunak, the former Treasury chief, and Nadim Zahawi, who took Sunak’s job as chancellor of the exchequer last week. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss hasn’t formally announced but is expected to join the race.

The race comes after Johnson, 58, was brought down by a series of scandals, the most recent involving his decision to promote a lawmaker who had been accused of sexual misconduct to a senior position in his government.

An influential Conservative party committee is expected to...