The UK is set to have a new Prime Minister on September 5 as Boris Johnson's replacement as leader of the Conservative Party will be announced. Rishi Sunak, Sajid Javid, Nadhim Zahawi, Tom Tugendhat, and Penny Mordaunt, are among the candidates who will be looking to become the country's next PM.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory's 1922 Committee, which sets the rules on the elections, said nominations to be leader of the Conservative Party will close tomorrow (June 12). He said the first ballot will take place on Wednesday and candidates will be expected to have 20 supporters, including their proposer and seconder.
Candidates must win at least 30 votes from party colleagues to progress. A second ballot is planned for Thursday.
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Sir Graham Brady said the final result of the contest should be announced on September 5 after a run-off between the final two candidates in a postal ballot of Conservative Party members. Sir Brady did not say when the final vote would take place. He said it was a “perfectly reasonable” timetable that would allow hustings to take place around the country over the summer.
Leadership contenders have been setting out policy visions to convince party members and MPs to back them. Nearly all have promised extensive tax cuts in a variety of areas if they were to be elected.
Eleven candidates have entered the race so far, with Home Secretary Priti Patel and Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg also believed to be considering runs.
Speaking at the Francis Crick Institute in London, outgoing PM Boris Johnson said whoever takes over will have a “great, great agenda” to continue, and also indicated he would not be publicly backing any of the candidates vying to replace him. “That’s not the job of the Prime Minister at this stage. The job of the Prime Minister at this stage is to let the party decide, let them get on with it and to continue delivering on the projects that we were elected to deliver,” he said.
His resignation and subsequent leadership race was triggered when dozens of ministers resigned from his government, starting with Mr Javid and Mr Sunak, early last week. Mr Johnson blamed the “herd” for his resignation as Tory leader in a speech outside Downing Street and has said he is “determined” to deliver the mandate he was elected on in 2019 in his final few weeks as PM.
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