Tory leadership contest 2022: what happens next and how many backers did Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt have?

Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the contest ahead of nominations closing at 2pm for the Tory leadership
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Nominations will closed at 2pm - but Mordaunt conceded just minutes before this saying Sunak has her “full support”.

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The field had narrowed on Sunday night to Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, with Boris Johnson dropping his bid to make a comeback to No 10.

It means the UK will have its third Prime Minister within 12 months declared after the resignation of Truss and just months after Boris Johnson was ousted from No 10.

Truss took office just six weeks ago following a leadership contest that spanned much of the summer.

But what happens next, and what is the process for a Conservative leadership election? This is what you need to know.

Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner to be the next Prime Minister, with Penny Mordaunt having only 26 publicly declared backers.Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner to be the next Prime Minister, with Penny Mordaunt having only 26 publicly declared backers.
Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner to be the next Prime Minister, with Penny Mordaunt having only 26 publicly declared backers.

What happens next?

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Rishi Sunak will address the Conservative Parliamentary Party at 2.30pm this afternoon.

The 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady said that the new Tory leader will speak to MPs in Committee Room 14.

After Mordaunt dropped out of the race it left Sunak as the only candidate meaning he will enter No 10 unopposed and avoid an online ballot of the Conservative members.

Sir Graham Brady, who as chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives was overseeing the contest, said he received only one valid nomination form.

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“Rishi Sunak is therefore elected the next leader of the Conservative Party,” he added.

Challengers for the Tory leadership had needed nominations from at least 100 Conservative MPs to make it to the next stage. By Monday Sunak had already surpassed that amount of backers.

 Rishi Sunak leaves an office in central London on October 23, 2022. Credit: Getty Images Rishi Sunak leaves an office in central London on October 23, 2022. Credit: Getty Images
Rishi Sunak leaves an office in central London on October 23, 2022. Credit: Getty Images

What is the usual process for the leadership contest?

When a Conservative leader resigns that triggers a contest - and the current leader is not eligible to stand. If the outgoing leader is Prime Minister they are expected to stay in post until a successor is appointed - as was the case in recent years with Theresa May and Boris Johnson.

The candidates in the leadership contest must be sitting Conservative MPs. Conservative leadership elections usually have two stages. The first stage sees Conservative MPs choose two candidates to go forward to the next stage.

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If there are more than two candidates the field is narrowed by a series of ballots as in the most recent contest. The rules for the first stage are set by the Executive of the 1922 committee along with the Conservative Party Board.

While the second stage sees the two candidates go head-to-head in a ballot of the party membership, with the candidate with the most votes winning.

After Boris Johnson resigned the leadership race lasted from 13 July to 5 September and with eight candidates confirmed on 12 July having gained the support of at least 20 other Tory MPs.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee had said the process could be concluded by 28 October so the new leader can be in place in time for a crucial financial statement on 31 October which is intended to reassure the City of London that the Government has a plan to repair the nation’s finances.

Leader of the House of Commons and Conservative leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt leaves BBC Broadcasting House in London, after appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.Leader of the House of Commons and Conservative leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt leaves BBC Broadcasting House in London, after appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
Leader of the House of Commons and Conservative leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt leaves BBC Broadcasting House in London, after appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

How many backers did Sunak and Mordaunt have?

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Sunak had received backing from about half of the 357 Tory MPs, while Mordaunt had around 26 public supporters.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had called for colleagues to back Sunak as the candidate with the “most experience” and former Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the Tories must “unite behind” Sunak.

A Mordaunt campaign source had said they were “very close” to the target and “confident” they would hit it.

However in a statement posted on Twitter just before 2pm she said: “These are unprecedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today,” she said.

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“They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country.

“Members should know that this proposition has been fairly and thoroughly tested by the agreed 1922 process.

“As a result, we have now chosen our next prime minister.”

Boris Johnson had claimed to have 102 backers prior to dropping out of the race.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Johnson said there was a “very good chance” he could have been back in No 10 by the end of the week if he had stood.

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However his efforts to “reach out” to his rivals – Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt – to work together in the national interest had not been successful, he said, so he was dropping out.

There is talk of Boris Johnson making a comeback to Number 10. Credit: Getty ImagesThere is talk of Boris Johnson making a comeback to Number 10. Credit: Getty Images
There is talk of Boris Johnson making a comeback to Number 10. Credit: Getty Images

Will there be a general election?

As the last few months have shown nothing is certain in politics, and while a new Prime Minister is set to be appointed there has been increasing calls for a general election.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urged Rishi Sunak to call an early general election.

She tweeted: “Congratulations to @RishiSunak, I wish him well and, notwithstanding our political differences, will do my best to build a constructive working relationship with him in the interests of those we serve.

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“That he becomes the first British Asian, indeed the first from any minority ethnic background, to become PM is a genuinely significant moment. It certainly makes this a special #Diwali.

“As for the politics, I’d suggest one immediate decision he should take and one he certainly should not. He should call an early general election. And he should not, must not, unleash another round of austerity. Our public services will not withstand that.”

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has called for an immediate general election in the wake of Liz Truss’s resignation. The Labour leader said: “The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern.”

He went on to say: “The British public deserve a proper say on the country’s future. They must have the chance to compare the Tories’ chaos with Labour’s plans to sort out their mess, grow the economy for working people and rebuild the country for a fairer, greener future. We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election – now.”

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also called for a general election, and said: “We don’t need another Conservative Prime Minister lurching from crisis to crisis,” he tweeted. We need a General Election now and the Conservatives out of power.”

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