LONDON (AP) — Britain’s defeated Conservative Party will spend more than three months choosing a new leader to replace former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the party said. Sunak will serve as acting leader until a successor is announced on Nov. 2.
Centre-right parties were swept out by voters in the July 4 general election, which saw Labour win a landslide victory, ending 14 years of rule by five prime ministers, and the Conservatives were reduced to 121 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, their worst result ever.
The party announced that nominations would open on Wednesday and close in five days, with any Conservative MP able to run if they have the backing of 10 colleagues.
Conservative MPs will narrow the field to four candidates through a series of ballots, who will then appeal to members at the party’s annual conference in early October.
MPs will then select two finalists to be put to an online vote by Conservative party members across the country.
Sunak said: “It is in the national interest to have a smooth and orderly transition to a new Opposition leader, and so I will remain in office until the outcome of the leadership election on November 2nd.”
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“This will allow our party to carry out our role as Opposition professionally and effectively. I believe this is what’s best for the Conservative Party and, above all, for our country.”
In a leadership contest in mid-2022, party members chose Liz Truss over Mr Sunak, who resigned after just 49 days in the position after her tax cut plans rocked financial markets and caused the value of the pound to plummet. The party then chose Mr Sunak to replace her.
After suffering heavy defeats in elections, losing votes to parties on both the right and the left, the party is divided between moderates who want to stay on the political center and hardliners who want a tougher stance on immigration and law and order.
Some Conservative MPs have already indicated they will run, including former Home Secretaries James Cleverley and Tom Tugendhat, who are considered moderates, and from the party’s right, former Immigration Secretary Robert Jenrick and former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch.
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