Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Ben Wallace front-runners to replace Truss

The leading candidates to replace Liz Truss as Britain's PM include key figures from her cabinet as well as former rivals for leadership of the Conservative Party.

Some analysts have speculated that Boris Johnson, who resigned as PM in the summer, could make a return. Here is a look at some of the potential contenders:

Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons: Mordaunt, 49, became leader of the lower house of Britain's parliament after briefly emerging as a contender in Conservative Party leadership contest. At the time, Mordaunt's swift rise alarmed some critics, who said she was untested and thinly qualified for PM. Mordaunt was defence secretary for two and a half months in 2019 and held a lesser cabinet post in charge of international development. She also has little economic experience, just as Britain is striving to maintain economic credibility.