Good afternoon. It is, as Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth told several interviewers this morning, squeaky bum time – but for the Conservatives, there’s still a lot of digesting to do. While Labour are scrupulously leaving their chickens uncounted, the Tories appear to have largely concluded that defeat is now inevitable. It follows that the identity of Rishi Sunak’s successor is the next big question facing the party, as the candidates eye up the leader of the opposition (Loto).
While nobody’s going public yet, with the dynamic of Thursday’s race apparently now set, there are plenty of signs that the leading contenders are thinking ahead. But there are still a lot of unknowns about the process to select the person who will define the Conservatives’ approach to opposition.
