Michael Gove leads the list of favorites to become the next UK Prime Minister

The United Kingdom is in a state of massive disarray. At this point, it seems that how Brexit will end is anybody's guess. The 2016 EU Referendum and the resulting process seem poised to soon topple a second prime minister.

First, it was David Cameron. Cameron had led the Conservative Party to victory in 2010 and again in 2015. He had also presided over the government during Scotland's decision to remain a part of the United Kingdom. But he was squarely on the side of remaining in the European Union. The UK's vote to leave led to his decision to resign.

The current prime minister is Theresa May, who had also campaigned to remain in the EU. May was home secretary and women and equalities minister under Cameron. She also previously chaired the Conservative Party.

She remained in the position after a tumultuous 2017 election. But her Brexit negotiations have been largely disastrous and it seems her time as prime minister is rapidly closing. She has even offered to resign in exchange for a vote in favor of her negotiated deal. The Brexit issue is a highly polarizing one. It's unlikely anyone else would've fared much better in her position. But, much like the US speaker of the house, there are many who seem eager to take up the post. Even despite the likely agonizing failures.

Speculation has begun on possible successors

According to Newsweek, the favorite to possibly replace May is Michael Gove. Gove is currently the environment, food and rural affairs secretary. He previously held a number of prominent roles under Prime Minister Cameron. Gove was a supporter of leaving the EU and made his own run for prime minister after Cameron's resignation.

Despite all of this, he has become one of May's strongest allies. Even though he may be favored to succeed her, he has vocally supported May staying on.

Boris Johnson is a highly controversial figure. A member of a prominent British political family, he has been the mayor of London and was May's foreign secretary. He resigned as secretary in 2018 in protest of how the Brexit process was being handled.

He had been a harsh critic of May's negotiations. However, after she offered to resign if they passed, he reversed course. Many believe that his hopes of becoming prime minister were blatant in this move.

Johnson was replaced by Jeremy Hunt. Hunt was was health secretary under both May and Cameron and culture secretary under Cameron. During the EU Referendum campaign, he supported remaining. However, he has since vocally supported the process of leaving. Reportedly, Hunt believes he would have the support of most cabinet members to replace May.

David Lidington has held various roles under May and is considered her 'de facto deputy.' The New York Times reports that he is widely respected and is seen as May's natural successor.

However, he has remained steadfast in supporting her. Additionally, Lidington doesn't seem to even want the job.

There are several others who could possibly become the UK's next premier. Other current cabinet members Sajid Javid, Amber Rudd, Andrea Leadsom and Penny Mourdant have been mentioned. May's former Brexit secretaries, David Davis, and Dominic Raab are also potential contenders.

The Conservative Party is actually relatively well-off

Despite the leadership turmoil, the Conservatives presently can find some optimism. If an election were held right now, polls indicate the party would still win the most seats. Whether or not it would be an outright majority is a different matter.

Some of this is because the party's main rivals have plenty of problems of their own.

The Labour Party faces allegations of prejudice and hateful behavior and are led by the unpopular Jeremy Corbyn. Additionally, the Liberal Democrats have been in flux since their shining moment in 2010. The role of leader of the party has been something of a revolving door. Headlines were made over some party members' wretched treatment of Leader Tim Farron in 2017. Farron had promoted the party platform and led it to an increase in Parliamentary seats in 2017. However, some of the more extreme members essentially forced him out due to his religious beliefs.