Dazed and confused, the party will have not only the hard work of renewing itself, but the additional, and until recently unfamiliar, sensation of being ignored by the general public. It’s a tough gig, being leader of the opposition, but someone has to do it...
How long is this all going to take?
Being in the immediate aftermath of catastrophic defeat and descent into irrelevance at least means that they can take their time in choosing the person to take them forward. Even so, it’s fairly self-indulgent. The six candidates will spend much of the summer going around the country, meeting and canvassing Tory members as well as MPs old and new.
The six will be whittled down to four after parliament gets back, with several rounds of voting scheduled between 4 and 11 September. The four will then take part in an informal “beauty contest” during the Conservative Party conference (29 September to 2 October). The MPs will then vote in October on which two of the four candidates will be presented to the wider membership to decide between in a final vote on 31 October. The new leader will take over from Rishi Sunak on 2 November.
Why so drawn out?
This story is from the July 30, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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 July 30, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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
Carse justifies England faith as the archetypal bold pick
If you won a boxing match after your opponent continually punched themselves in the face, how much credit can you take?
Tenacious Diallo the key to Amorim pressing machine
Old Trafford has not seen anything like this before.
Gold King Cole packs the Bridge with merry old souls
In the 83rd minute, the ball rolled to the feet of Cole Palmer in a bubble of space outside Aston Villa's box, and the crowd snapped to attention.
Vibrant Anfield marks the changing of the Guardiola
There was a lull in the noise, a break in the Anfield atmosphere, when a defiant chant emerged from a corner near Stefan Ortega’s goal.
What is so daunting about Spain's new data checks?
Q You have written about the new “red tape” for visitors to Spain. So, as well as your usual passport details you will give a contact number, address and email. Not exactly the Spanish Inquisition, is it?
Sectarian clashes claim at least 130 lives in Pakistan
At least 130 people were killed in deadly sectarian clashes in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire, days after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying Shia Muslims, local officials said.
Coalition government likely in Ireland as count proceeds
Fianna Fail say decisions on power-sharing for another day’
How Syria's forgotten war is back on the world's agenda
Many believed the country was lost in an unsolvable conflict, until everything changed in a matter of days, writes Bel Trew
Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance
Civilians reportedly killed by Russian and Syrian airstrikes
Mother of poisoning victim says she knew she would die
Lawyer Simone White succumbed to the effects of methanol while backpacking in Laos with two of her childhood friends
