Foreign Policy: A Flood of Demands for Johnson’s Successor

Jeffrey Clifton-Brown, a member of the committee responsible for 1922, told the Radio Times on Saturday that the two candidates for the ballot should be known by July 20. The exact rules and schedule will be determined next week.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said he did not want to run. Wallace, previously considered the favorite, said Saturday that he had decided “after careful consideration and discussion with colleagues and family” not to participate in the application process. “It wasn’t an easy choice but my focus is on my current job and keeping this great country safe.” The minister did not make a recommendation. He hopes the party will now focus on important political issues.

Prime Minister Johnson announced his retirement on Thursday. However, he intends to remain in office until his successor is chosen. The newspaper “The Telegraph” that the party and the new prime minister should be known on the fifth of next September. So far, six MEPs have announced their candidacy. After former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak declared himself his first heavyweight on Friday, Transportation Minister Shapps and Finance Minister Zahawi threw their hats into the ring on Saturday. A few hours later Hunt and Jayed were added, the Telegraph reported. The Mail on Sunday reported that Secretary of State Liz Truss will also announce her candidacy on Monday.

Other previous candidates are Foreign Minister Kimi Badenouch, Attorney General Suella Braverman and House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat. But you will hardly be given a chance. Hunt and Judd ran for the last presidential election in 2019. Then-Secretary of State Hunt reached the final as the centrist candidate for Johnson’s critics. But in the primary vote, he was visibly defeated by the subsequent prime minister.

Applicants usually first announce their candidacy. If Tory MPs go through multiple rounds of voting in Parliament, the candidate with the fewest votes will be disqualified. And so the circle gets smaller and smaller until there are two names left at the end. Then party members decide by postal vote which of these two should lead the party. Then that person becomes prime minister.

Depending on the length of the list, the process can be long, especially since voting rounds are traditionally held only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Clifton-Brown said the committee aims to narrow the list to the most wanted candidates by the start of Parliament’s six-week recess on July 21. Three years ago, six Conservative MPs applied for president.

With Sunak and Judd, the two ministers who made a significant contribution to Johnson’s downfall on Tuesday are now submitting their nearly simultaneous resignations. The resignations sparked a wave of departures and made clear that Johnson no longer had the support of a majority within the party. On Thursday, the prime minister complied and announced his resignation from the party leadership, inaugurating the race for his successor as prime minister.