COLOMBO (News 1st): The race to become the next Conservative Party leader has begun, following Theresa May’s announcement that she will be stepping down on the 7th of next month. Five candidates have confirmed their intention to stand, they are:

• Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt
• International Development Secretary Rory Stewart
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock
• Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
• Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Hancock, the fifth Tory to enter the race speaking to foreign media said that delivering Brexit was “mission critical” and May’s successor must be more “brutally honest” about the “trade-offs” required to get a deal through Parliament.

The leadership contest will determine who is the UK’s next prime minister. Party bosses expect a new leader to be chosen by the end of July.

May confirmed that she will resign as party leader on the 7th of June, but will continue as Prime Minister while the leadership contest takes place. She agreed with the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, that the process to choose a new leader should begin the week after she stands down.

HOW THE ELECTION WORKS

The Conservative MPs who want the position will put their names forward to the chair of the 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady, who oversees the contest. Each leadership candidate needs two MPs to nominate them, a proposer and seconder, in order to get on the ballot paper.

MPs then vote in order to whittle the names down to two candidates. Each MP will issue a ballot paper and vote in secret. The Candidate with the lowest score is eliminated. Each paid-up member of the Conservative Party then receive a postal ballot, and they will vote for one of the two MPs put forward by the parliamentary party.

Once the members’ vote and the winner is declared, Theresa May will go to Buckingham Palace to tender her resignation to her Majesty the Queen, and the new Tory leader will be invited to take up the role as Prime Minister with immediate effect.

Script Courtesy to BBC News 

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