Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party and will step down as Prime Minister once his replacement is chosen. A number of names have been thrown into the ring as possible successors - including Rishi Sunak and Dominic Raab - with the timetable for choosing someone to be announced next week.
The Conservative Party will now once again begin the search for a new leader.
Here is how the complex process is expected to play out.
Who is in charge of the leadership contest?
The 1922 Committee, a powerful backbench committee chaired by Sir Graham Brady, has the ultimate responsibility for setting the rules in any Conservative Party leadership contest.
Leadership elections only happen if a Conservative leader resigns or if they lose a vote of confidence among MPs.
Now that Mr Johnson has spoken to Tory 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and agreed to stand down, a leadership contest will be held to replace him as Tory leader.
In the meantime, he will remain as a caretaker prime minister.
The timetable for a contest is agreed by the 1922 Committee and Tory Party HQ, with a new Tory leader expected to be in place by the party conference in October.
Who gets to vote?
Both Tory MPs and Conservative Party members play a decisive role in electing the next leader.
Tory MPs will whittle down the candidates to a final two through a balloting process, with party members then voting on which of the two candidates they would prefer.
How does the process work?
The leadership contest usually takes place over two stages, if there are multiple candidates.
The Executive Committee of the 1922 Committee will determine the rules and procedures for how a contest will play out, alongside Conservative Party headquarters.
Those rules, as well as the timetable, are announced by the chair of the 1922 Committee.
The first stage sees the number of candidates whittled down, with a series of ballots.
If necessary, across multiple ballots, the candidates with the lowest number of votes are eliminated and MPs are re-balloted until only two candidates are left.
For example, during the 2019 leadership contest to replace Theresa May, which saw Boris Johnson elected leader, there were initially 10 candidates in the first ballot, with several rounds of balloting taking place until only Mr Johnson and Jeremy Hunt were left.
What happens then?
At this stage, the two MPs left will face a vote of Conservative Party members.
It means that members of the party will get their say on who should be the leader of the Conservative Party, as well as the next prime minister.
Once again the timetable for such a poll, involving members across the country, is determined by the Executive of the 1922 Committee.
Could Boris Johnson stand?
It is unlikely. Under the rules, a leader who resigns is not normally eligible to contest any subsequent leadership election.
Here are some of the early potential frontrunners to replace Mr Johnson as Prime Minister:
– Jeremy Hunt
Jeremy Hunt (left) and Boris Johnson previously fought it out for the Tory leadership (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
The former foreign secretary and ex-health secretary has been a persistent backbench critic of Mr Johnson and called on the Prime Minister to quit.
Mr Hunt is widely expected to make a fresh bid for the leadership, having been runner-up to Mr Johnson in 2019, and is among the early favourites with bookmakers.
As chairman of the Commons Health Committee, he has used his position to make a number of critical interventions on the Government’s handling of the pandemic, although his strong support for lockdown measures will not have pleased all Tory MPs.
– Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid resigned as Health Secretary on Tuesday (Yui Mok/PA)
Like Mr Sunak, Mr Javid’s resignation on Tuesday caused chaos in Number 10, as the Health Secretary from famously humble beginnings left the Government.
State school-educated Mr Javid – known as “The Saj” in some circles – is the son of a bus driver who arrived in England from Pakistan in the 1960s, and held ministerial roles in housing, business and culture before becoming Chancellor, and then Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic.
Mr Javid made it to the final four in the contest to replace Theresa May as Tory leader in 2019, but dropped out and subsequently endorsed Mr Johnson. He told reporters after his resignation on Tuesday evening that he was looking forward to spending time with his family – but for how long?
– Penny Mordaunt
Penny Mordaunt, a Navy reservist, was sacked as defence secretary by Boris Johnson in 2019 (Cpl Robert Weideman/PA)
Another frontrunner with the bookies, Ms Mordaunt made waves in 2019 as the UK’s first female defence secretary before being fired by Mr Johnson shortly after becoming PM.
Ms Mordaunt has many strings to her bow – she is a Royal Navy reservist, the current trade minister and a former reality television contestant, having appeared on the Tom Daley-fronted diving show Splash.
She played a prominent role in the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and has previously reportedly enjoyed the backing of Dame Andrea Leadsom among others.
– Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak resigned as Chancellor on Tuesday (Yui Mok/PA)
The former Chancellor’s rise from relative obscurity to household name came as he turned on the spending taps to protect jobs through the furlough scheme when the coronavirus pandemic struck.
His calm and measured delivery during televised Covid briefings, and his viral declaration of love for a popular soft drink, will have endeared him to those perhaps not always plugged in to the political goings-on, as well as his resignation on matters of principle on Tuesday.
But his stock took a tumble more recently following disclosures that his wife had non-dom status for tax purposes, and that he was too slow to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.
– Liz Truss
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has been accused of trying to emulate Margaret Thatcher with photo opportunities (Rob Pinney/PA)
The Foreign Secretary has made little secret of her leadership ambitions, with a series of high-profile interventions and photo opportunities in which she appeared to be channelling late PM Margaret Thatcher.
Her hard line on Ukraine, insisting Russian forces must be driven from the country, and threats to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU, play well with sections of the party.
Away from politics, Ms Truss’s flair for social media has seen her offer an insight into life outside of Westminster by updating her Instagram account with pictures of her relaxing at the beach, or behind the scenes at official events, though her passions combined to bizarre effect in 2014 when her improbably enthusiastic speech about opening pork markets in Beijing went viral.
– Tom Tugendhat
Tom Tugendhat, the ex-soldier and Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman (Niall Carson/PA)
The polyglot chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee became the first to announce his intention to stand for leader should Mr Johnson be turfed out – with his declaration made in January.
A Remainer in 2016, the former soldier has been a trenchant critic of Mr Johnson – a stance that would appear to have cost him any chance of ministerial preferment under the current leadership.
He recently sought to distance himself from a call by his fellow Remainer, Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood, for the UK to rejoin the EU single market.
– Ben Wallace
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has won admirers in Westminster for his straight-talking approach (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
The Defence Secretary has won admirers in Westminster for his straight-talking and straightforward approach, particularly among Tory MPs who pressed for the UK to increase its defence spending, although cuts to the size of the Army remain a cause for concern.
Mr Wallace, who served in the Scots Guards, remains a key voice in the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and this increased exposure could assist any leadership bid.
He has consistently supported Mr Johnson, but has pressed the case for increased defence spending.
– Nadhim Zahawi
Nadhim Zahawi is seen as a safe pair of hands (Danny Lawson?PA)
The former education secretary is regarded by some as a “safe pair of hands” if other candidates prove too divisive – indeed he was the man trusted to take on the broadcast round of interviews on Wednesday morning, on his first full day in his new job as Chancellor.
Iraqi-born Mr Zahawi was a successful businessman and came to wider prominence as vaccines minister during the pandemic where he was credited with playing a key part in the successful rollout of the jab.
