Alan Johnson? Thick as a plank. Probably good at filling shelves in Tescos and as a postman.
He made an idiot of himself as Shadow Chancellor. Remembered for describing trade union officials as "fat, white, finger-jabbing blokes on rostrums shouting and screaming". A jerk for saying it, whether true or not.
Some would say John Smith - may be.
Gove wouldn't be the worst choice,. May be Sunak one day, though he may get attractive offers which take him away from his back bench position.
Someone like Stuart Rose (ex M & S) would be good.
Sunak was impressive for his grasp and facility with the numbers and ability to explain things, I thought. Not sure about his political astuteness though. And you need someone who can handle complicated things and give a full answer if it's needed. The danger is getting a Chris Whitty, who didn't notice when he'd lost his audience.
PPE degrees are appropriate, but so are engineers for an analytical mind.
Truss did PPE at Oxford, and is an ACMA, but says too many daft things, in a daft way. She needs lessons in presentation, gravitas, or something.
Interesting list here:
www.sciencecampaign.org.uk