The first round in the Conservative leadership contest settled nothing, though that is not how Jeremy Hunt or Nadhim Zahawi, both now eliminated, will see it. But it showed a party without a map, without a compass and in an unfamiliar place. Above all, it showed a party lacking a shared analysis of why it is where it is, a week after the ousting of Boris Johnson.
The results suggest that the next prime minister is likely to be either Rishi Sunak or Britain’s (and the Tory party’s) third female leader. It remains to be determined whether Penny Mordaunt or Liz Truss will go forward to the final stage, and whether Sunak will do so. It also looks likely that Suella Braverman and Tom Tugendhat will withdraw or be eliminated in the next round on Thursday.
