Put on your skates, MPs want to succeed PM will be told as shortlist in 12 days

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 Committee of Backbench Tory MPs, said a dozen contenders can participate in the leadership race. He believes the aim will be to reduce the crowded field to two candidates through a series of votes by Tory MPs ahead of the commons rises on July 21.

Since many MPs will not be in Westminster on Thursday, the final vote is more likely to be no later than July 20. The shortlist of two would then be presented to members of the Tory party in the summer, with the entire process expected to take about two months.

With Mr Johnson announcing his resignation as Tory leader on Thursday, Sir Geoffrey told the Standard: “The starting gun has been fired.”

Speaking in a personal capacity, he added: “She… [contenders] must put on their skates, gather their supporters, get the required number of signatures for the nominations.

“They need to put out a manifesto so we all know what they stand for and then they need to set up a campaign, including finance.”

Early next week, a new director of the 1922 committee will be elected and it will determine the timetable and rules of the leadership contest, in consultation with Tory headquarters.

Nominations for the leadership race could open Monday or Tuesday. Potential candidates may be required to have the support of a certain number of MPs to enter the competition. Several thresholds were in place around Westminster, possibly including the support of some twenty MPs, although this will not be decided until next week by the 1922 executive. The purpose of such a threshold would be to speed up the electoral process by increasing the number of votes cast. required to be shortlisted.

Former soldier Tom Tugendhat MP was already in the process of stealing a march on other candidates, as he stated early in the match. The MP for Tonbridge and Malling tweeted Friday morning: “It’s time for a clean start. It is time for renewal.”

It can be critical to gain momentum early in a leadership contest, as MPs often flock to whoever they believe will be the winner.

Adding to his message, Mr Tugendhat, chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “This nation needs a clean start and a government that offers trust, service and an unwavering focus on the crisis from the cost of living to will make its guiding principles.”

Attorney General Suella Braverman and Brexiteer Steve Baker have also thrown their hats into the leadership race. Westminster looked today to see who in the cabinet and which ex-ministers would enter the competition.

Strong contenders include Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, his predecessor Rishi Sunak who resigned on Tuesday as part of the uprising against Johnson, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, International Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Sajid Javid who minutes before Mr Sunak stepped down as Health Minister, and ex-Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, who was expected to announce his candidacy soon.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Jake Berry, chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, were among other senior conservatives who would also consider a possible leadership bid. It was expected that part of the contest would focus on who stayed with Johnson until he agreed to quit and those who are now pushing for a clean break from his premiership.

Education Secretary James Cleverly said candidates wishing to succeed Mr Johnson must “explain their rationale” as to whether to remain loyal to him or not.

When asked whether it is tenable for someone who has criticized Mr Johnson to become the next prime minister, he told BBC Breakfast: “Anyone who puts themselves forward needs to explain why he has done whatever he has done and my colleagues will judge that. I’m sure some people will want to support someone who was part of the Prime Minister’s team for the past few days and there will be others who may want to support someone who criticized the Prime Minister.

“Each of us will make our own choices and I think each candidate will have to explain what decisions they did or did not make.”

Mr Cleverly excluded himself from the leadership race and did not throw his weight behind one of his colleagues who were tipped to run.

He told Sky News: “No, I won’t be.

“I put myself forward last time, I don’t regret it, I really enjoyed it. As you know, my wife has undergone cancer treatment and while that is progressing, it is not over yet.

“It’s not the right time for me.

“And I’m comfortable that we actually have a range of candidates within the party who would make excellent prime ministers.

“And before you ask the next obvious question, I haven’t decided yet who I’m going to support.”

He also stressed that Mr Johnson has not provided a “timeline” on how long he will remain in the No. 10 after he resigns as leader of the Tory party.

He told Times Radio: “He said he will stay until the process is complete, he has not put a timeline on this.

“The timeline on this will be determined by the 1922 Committee in terms of the parliamentary phase and by the Conservative Party in terms of the party phase.

“Both organizations know how important it is to get this done professionally and quickly and I don’t think the Prime Minister has set a specific date on that.”

Government sources had indicated early yesterday that Mr Johnson planned to go for the Tory party conference in the fall, sparking speculation he could remain in No10 until October, sparking a backlash from Tory and opposition MPs.

Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016 after Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the contest after it had already fallen to a shortlist of the two, meaning the final decision did not go to the Tory members.

However, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown believes no such scenario will happen this time.

He told BBC’s Today programme: “In this case I think there is a lot of competition. And I would be surprised if it didn’t go to the members of the country.

“I think under these circumstances, with the division in the party, it is a good thing that it goes to the members so that they have the chance to have their say and vote.”

The election of a new prime minister, by party membership alone, is controversial and opposition MPs will push for a general election, arguing that Mr Johnson’s successor will not receive a voter mandate of his own.

The contenders are already setting up their stalls.

Dangling the prospect of more tax cuts shortly after taking office as chancellor, Mr Zahawi told The Sun today about the impact of cost of living pressures on millions of households, stressing: “I instinctively want them to get more of their money.” preserve.”

He has hinted that he will not be allowed to continue raising the corporate tax rate from 19 percent to 25 percent.

He stressed the need to cut government costs, including to contain inflation, which stood at 9.1 percent in May, and to pave the way for tax cuts.

“If I can do that, I want to look very quickly at how we can leverage that saving and make sure we support more people to keep more of their earnings, and more businesses invest and grow in the UK,” he said. †

Former Cabinet Secretary Andrew Mitchell expressed support for Mr Hunt and said the next occupant of No10 would have to be someone “clearly moral” who is “untainted” by the previous tenant’s “mistakes”.