The pantomime of choosing the next leader of the Conservative Party, and thus the Country, begins this week. There will be many many twists and turns, plus a whole lot of sh*t flung.
As with most things surrounding the workings of British politics, it can all seem a bit confusing at times, so here is an anticipated timeline of events.
1. Nominations submitted to Sir Graham Brady, 1922 chairman, by 6pm on Tuesday, July 12 – must receive the backing of 20 MPs
2. Voting is due to start on Wednesday, July 13 – need >10% of votes to progress
3. 2nd round of voting on Thursday, July 14
After Thursday’s second ballot –
4. 3 sets of hustings on Monday, July 18 – Also a live debate on Sky News in the evening.
5. 3rd round of voting on Tuesday, July 19
6. A final day of voting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 20.
7. Thursday, July 21, two candidates remain (hopefully)
8. Series of hustings around the country for members to quiz the final two contenders
9. Tory members will be encouraged to vote for their choice to be a leader by post by late August
10. Winner announced on Monday, Sept 5
As it stands, the betting markets have Rishi Sunak the outright favourite, followed by Mordaunt and Truss (Truss stated last night that the first thing she would do is lower taxes, which is always a crowd-pleaser!)