The new UK prime minister to replace the outgoing Boris Johnson will be announced on September 5, the ruling Conservative party announced.
According to Rueters, 11 candidates have declared interest in succeeding Johnson as leader of the ruling Conservative Party and prime minister after he quit following a series of scandals and a frenzy of more than 50 resignations from his cabinet.
The influential 1922 Committee of non-ministerial Tory MPs in parliament on Monday outlined a timetable for the party’s leadership election.
Nominations will officially open and close on Tuesday, with a new prime minister set to be installed when parliament returns from its summer break on September 5, Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, told reporters.
The first ballot will be held on Wednesday, with a second ballot likely on Thursday, said Brady.
The 1922 committee of Conservative members of parliament (MPs) which organises the leadership contest said hopefuls would need at least 20 nominations from the party’s 358 lawmakers to even proceed to the first round of votes on Wednesday.
Anyone who then receives less than 30 votes will be eliminated before another vote follows on Thursday. Nearly all the contenders have promised extensive tax cuts to win over the support of their colleagues.
In a bid to speed up the process, candidates must have at least 20 MPs backing them in order to enter the race, up from the usual eight, and any candidate who fails to get the support of 30 MPs on the first ballot will be eliminated.
Among those running are Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, whose departures as finance minister and health minister sparked the wave of resignations.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Sunak’s successor, Nadhim Zahawi, have also declared, and Home Secretary Priti Patel is reportedly mulling a bid.
