The campaign to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister of the UK will get under way today after the resignation of Liz Truss on Thursday. Conservative MPs who want to be considered for the job have until 2pm on Monday to put their names forward, and must be supported by 100 colleagues.
In her brief resignation speech, Ms Truss said she will stay on as Prime Minister until a successor is chosen via a leadership election to be completed in the next week - meaning on Friday she will continue the work of governing the country.
On Friday, MPs are taking to TV and radio to start building support for the candidates they are backing. John Lamont, MP supporting Penny Mordaunt, has appeared on BBC Breakfast, followed by MP Crispin Blunt and MP Paul Bristow
MP for Gloucester Richard Graham is appearing on Times radio, followed by MP Bob Seely, supporting Ms Mordaunt.
Sir Christopher Chope, MP supporting Boris Johnson, is appearing on TalkTV followed by Steve Double, MP supporting Rishi Sunak.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is expected to record a video interview with journalists in London on Friday morning giving his latest take on the situation.
The first ballot of MPs will then be held between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on Monday – if there are three candidates with the required number of nominations the loser will be eliminated. Once there are two candidates remaining, an indicative vote will be held so that the party membership know which is the preferred option among MPs.
Members will be able to take part in an online vote to choose their next leader and the country’s prime minister with the contest due to conclude by October 28. The rules appear designed to encourage the candidate who finishes second to stand aside for the winner, ensuring the new leader has the support of the majority.
Tory grandee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, however, said it was important that the new leader commanded as much support as possible among the MPs.
“It is the Members of Parliament who have to work with a prime minister and I think it is very, very important that as many Members of Parliament are satisfied with the candidate,” he told BBC2’s Newsnight.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell has said the Tory politicians needed to stop “establishing tribal gangs who support a particular leader so that they can get a job in the Cabinet or Government regardless of their abilities”.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Mitchell said: “This unedifying way of conducting politics is harming the business of government and indeed the country.”
Ms Truss’s resignation on Thursday after just 44 days in office brings to an end the shortest premiership in British history.
It followed weeks of financial and political turmoil in the wake of then chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s calamitous £45 billion mini-budget giveaway which led to a collapse in support for Ms Truss among Tory MPs.
