Who could replace Theresa May if her Brexit deal passes?

Theresa May has announced she will quit if her Brexit deal passes but who are the main contenders to replace her?

The Prime Minister told Conservative MPs she ‘won’t stand in the way’ of a new leader if she manages to get Parliament to agree to her EU withdrawal plan.

She told the influential 1922 Committee of backbenchers: ‘I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party.’

But she faces a tough task to get her deal through after it was rejected twice.

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg was pleased to hear the PM had agreed to quit and was confident finding a new leader in the Tory party would not be too difficult.

Here are the main contenders for the job:

Michael Gove

The Environment Secretary is seen as the favourite at 7-2 – according to bookies William Hill – to replace Mrs May, despite not faring too well in the last Tory leadership race in 2016 when he came third after withdrawing support for Boris Johnson’s leadership bid.

Mr Gove, 51, was born in Edinburgh, studied English at Oxford and was a journalist before becoming an MP.

Despite speculation he could take the job, he said on Sunday it was ‘not the time to change the captain of the ship’.

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Boris Johnson

Former Foreign Secretary and Brexiteer Mr Johnson has been a leading voice of opposition to Mrs May’s Brexit plan.

He was heavily tipped as a successor to former PM David Cameron but ruled himself out of the 2016 leadership contest when Mr Gove made a last-minute bid for the top job.

Odds of him getting the job this time have come in at 6-1 and he is likely to have the backing of many pro-Leave members of the party.

MORE: Theresa May announces she will quit once Brexit deal is delivered

David Lidington

Mrs May’s de facto deputy is seen as someone who could take on a caretaker role but he has made it clear is not interested in the top job.

You can get odds of 6-1 for Mr Lidington, 62, to become Number 10’s next occupant.

He has been the MP for Aylesbury since 1992 and was minister of state for Europe from 2010 to 2016. He is married with four children.

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Jeremy Hunt

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, with odds of 10-1, was a prominent Remainer in the 2016 referendum.

Mr Hunt, 52, who was first elected as MP for South West Surrey in 2005, was appointed Foreign Secretary in July following the resignation of Mr Johnson.

He chose not to run in the 2016 leadership contest and instead gave his full support to Mrs May.

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Dominic Raab

With odds at 12-1, Mr Raab is an outsider to take over from the Theresa May, but is thought to be keen on the role.

Mr Raab, a prominent Brexiteer in the referendum campaign, was appointed as Brexit secretary in July but resigned from the role in November, saying he could not support Mrs May’s eventual deal.

Mr Raab, 44, has been the MP for Esher and Walton since he was elected in 2010.