MPs seeking to succeed Boris Johnson need to "get their skates on" as a shortlist of two candidates to be Tory leader could be decided in just 12 days' time, a senior Conservative parliamentarian said today.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said a dozen contenders may enter the leadership race. He believes the aim will be to whittle down the crowded field to two candidates through a series of votes by Tory MPs before the Commons rises on July 21.
Given that many MPs are not at Westminster on that Thursday, the final vote is more likely to be on July 20, at the latest.
The shortlist of two would then be put to Tory party members over the summer, with the whole process expected to possibly last about two months. With Mr Johnson having yesterday announced his resignation as Tory leader, Sir Geoffrey told The Standard: "The starting gun has been fired."
Speaking in a personal capacity, he added: "They [contenders] need to get their skates on, to get their supporters rallied together, to get the required number of signatures for the nominations.
"They have got to get a manifesto out so that we all know what they stand for and then they have got to get a campaign up and running including finance."
A new executive of the 1922 Committee will be elected at the start of next week and it, in co-ordination with Tory HQ, will decide the leadership contest timetable and rules.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis
