After Liz Truss’s shocking resignation as PM, three frontrunners have emerged in the Tory leadership race. yesterday,
Sir Graham Brady, the leader of the 1922 Committee, laid out the rules for the contest for leadership on Thursday afternoon. The window for nominations will close on Monday at 2pm.
Liz Truss to be replaced by candidates Tory Leader will require at least 100 nominations by Conservative MPs. Three favourites have been identified in Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt et, sensationally Boris Johnson
Boris is currently on holiday in the Caribbean with his family. However, reports suggest that he may make his way back home to the UK to compete for the No10 spot.
Nadine Dorries supports the former PM. She said: “There is only one MP who has the mandate of the British public, who won a general election only three years ago with an 80-seat majority and that was Boris Johnson.”
Read our Liz Truss live blog below for the latest news & updates….
Bookies react to a possible Boris return
Paddy Power shares their amusing reaction to the news Boris may return to No10.
Yesterday evening, news broke that BoJo was considering returning. The bookie sent three vans to share their reactions.
Paddy Power’s first van carried the message: “GOODBYE BORIS”.
In hot pursuit, another one followed suit: “IT’S HARD TO KEEP UP”.
Bringing up the rear was a third van, with a display that read: “HELLO…BORIS?”
The odds of Johnson becoming the next Prime Minister have been lowered by a cheeky bookmaker, now at 9/2
Boris, reportedly tells MPs that the Tory party can be saved
According to the Telegraph, Boris Johnson is in touch with Tory MPs to find a way back to No10.
An ally of Mr Johnson told the Telegraph: “If the Tories are serious about winning in 2024 and want to stop a general election before then they need to revert to the guy with a mandate who is a seasoned campaigner.”
Rishi Sunak is one of the other candidates for the top office. Penny Mordaunt is another.
Boris is being supported by Stanley Johnson
Boris’s father supported the idea that his son might return to No10 next Wednesday.
“Frankly I have no idea whether Boris is going to be a candidate in this election, no idea at all, but I think he has a very strong record to be considered as a viable candidate and I very much hope he will let his name go forward,”TalkTV interviewed Mr Johnson.
Boris is rising as one of the three favorite candidates to be elected PM along with Rishi Sunak or Penny Mordaunt.
RECAP: How will we win the race for leadership?
Leadership candidates will need to win over at most 100 Tory MPs by Monday afternoon.
The MPs will then vote for their favorite candidate, narrowing down the field to two.
Members of the Tory party will then have the opportunity to vote online for the final pair they prefer.
The winner will be announced on Friday, 28 October.
Only one hustings event is planned.
Tory’s face ‘extinction’If the race for leadership goes wrong, the health minister warns
Robert Jenrick, the Health Minister, has warned his colleagues that the Tory party could be in serious trouble. ‘extinction’It is trying to find a new leader.
He told The News Agents podcast: “This isn’t an ordinary leadership contest. It’s more extraordinary than the one we had in the summer.
“If we get this wrong, the country will face a very serious period of further instability and the Conservative Party will lose the next general election, potentially cease to exist.”
Boris is supported by Nadine Dorries
Nadine Dorries, a former PM Boris Johnson’s supporter, has announced her support in the leadership race.
Revealing she spoke to Mr Johnson at lunchtime yesterday, she said: “It’s now down to MPs to decide who it is that they want to back.
“There is only one MP who has the mandate of the British public, who won a general election only three years ago with an 80-seat majority and that was Boris Johnson.”
Boris’s sister breaks silence on potential return
Speaking on Question Time yesterday evening, Boris Johnson’s sister, Rachel, was tight-lipped regarding his potential return to Number 10.
When asked if Mr Johnson could enter the race, she simply said: “I don’t know.”
A number of MPs have already thrown their support behind Johnson, but it will be a tough challenge for him to reach the required 100 nominations.
Edward Timpson CBE declares support from Rishi Sunak
Another MP put their support behind Rishi Sunak yesterday evening, as the race for Number 10 heated up.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Timpson said: “The last few weeks have proven that we already have a #leadership candidate with a realistic #economic plan.
“@RishiSunak has a plan that @Conservatives MPs can compromise and unite behind, so that we can reunite the Party with the public too.”
Rishi Sunak is currently the favourite to be PM come next week, but some reports are suggesting Boris Johnson could attempt a sensational return, with many party members backing him.
BLUES CLUES – HOW BORIS DROPPED HINTS OF A COMEBACK
Clue 1: Boris memorably ended his Commons swan song with the farewell “hasta la vista baby”. The phrase was coined by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, who also famously says “I’ll be back”.
Clue 2: In his final goodbye outside No10, the departing PM compared himself to Roman statesman Cincinnatus “returning to his plough”. Surely the Classics scholar would have known that Cincinnatus later returned to power as dictator.
Clue 3: Rather than disappearing completely from the political stage Boris has remained a passionate defender of Ukraine, and was recently elected chair of the Conservative Friends of Ukraine.
Clue 4: His fiercest supporter Nadine Dorries has continued to make the case for Boris, even suggesting he should be on the last leadership ballot – something the ex PM didn’t deny.
Clue 5: Unlike some of his predecessors, Boris has not resigned as an MP – meaning he is eligible to stand for the leadership.
Lib Dems say there is a ‘big movement’ for a general election
Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, has once again called for a general election.
“I think there’s a big movement in the country for a general election,” he said.
The leader added: “I can’t believe Boris Johnson is considering putting himself forward. There’s an inquiry into whether he misled parliament and the whole of the British people.
“It’s quite outrageous if Tory MPs allow him back.
“Moving the deck chairs on the Titanic is not what this country needs.”
The leadership race: A timeline
Here is the expected timeline of the upcoming Tory leadership race.
By October 28, Britain will have its third prime minister in less than six months.
Thursday October 20
6pm: Nomination papers to be PM open. Nominations will need the name of 100 Tory MPs
Monday October 24
2pm: Nominations close
2.30pm: Hustings for candidates who win 100 backers
3.30pm: First MP ballot takes place
6pm: Result of first ballot announced
6.30pm – 8.30pm: Second ballot (if required)
9pm: Announcement of top two candidates
Tuesday October 25
Ballot opens up to Tory members if two candidates are still standing
Friday
The winner of the members’ ballot and new PM is announced
What YOU need to know about PM hopeful Penny Mordaunt
The Commons chief appeared a favourite with members during the leadership race but ultimately finished third in the vote.
The ex-Defence Secretary has been a thorn in the PM’s side despite sitting beside her in cabinet for the last two months.
But she is highly divisive among MPs, and is unlikely to command a majority of them.
Currently, she is 7/2 to be the next PM
Tory MP threatens to quit if Boris returns
One Tory MP has threatened to resign from his position if Bors were to make a dramatic return to Downing Street.
“I would find it impossible to serve under Boris coming back and being prime minister… I think that is one person I would have problems with,” said John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay in Essex.
He added: “We’ve now got to look forward and pick a new candidate, somebody who has credibility, experience and can unite the party.”
Grant Shapps suggests he won’t join the race
The newly appointed home secretary has taken to Twitter to suggest he won’t be involved in the race for Number 10.
He penned: “It’s a tremendous privilege to be leading the Home Office in its task of protecting the British people.
“Government goes on, despite the current political upheavals, and I will remain fully focused on the job as we select the next PM.”
Could this be our next PM?
Boris Johnson, Rish Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, all names that could be moving into Number 10 come next Friday.
However, one candidate has already declared victory.
And who would that be? Larry the Cat of course.
A parody account for Downing Street’s chief mouser told its over 700,000 followers: “The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough.”
Nadine Dorries backs Boris
Unsurprisingly, Nadine Dorries has declared her support for former PM Boris Johnson in the leadership race.
Revealing she spoke to Mr Johnson at lunchtime today, she said: “It’s now down to MPs to decide who it is that they want to back.
“There is only one MP who has the mandate of the British public, who won a general election only three years ago with an 80-seat majority and that was Boris Johnson.”
Boris’s sister breaks the silence over a potential return
Speaking on Question Time this evening, Boris Johnson’s sister, Rachel, was tight-lipped regarding his potential return to Number 10.
She simply replied that Mr. Johnson could run for the race when she was asked. “I don’t know.”
Johnson has received support from many MPs, but it will prove difficult for him to get the 100 nominations he needs.
Edward Timpson CBE, declares support for Rishi Sunak
Another MP has put their support behind Rishi Sunak this evening, as the race for Number 10 heats up.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Timpson said: “The last few weeks have proven that we already have a #leadership candidate with a realistic #economic plan.
“@RishiSunak has a plan that @Conservatives MPs can compromise and unite behind, so that we can reunite the Party with the public too.”
Rishi Sunak is the favorite to become PM next week. However, some reports suggest that Boris Johnson could make a sensational comeback, with many party members supporting him.
Lib Dems say there is a ‘big movement’ for a general election
Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, has once again called for a general election.
“I think there’s a big movement in the country for a general election,” he said.
The leader added: “I can’t believe Boris Johnson is considering putting himself forward. There’s an inquiry into whether he misled parliament and the whole of the British people.
“It’s quite outrageous if Tory MPs allow him back.
“Moving the deck chairs on the Titanic is not what this country needs.”
The leadership race: A timeline
Here is the expected timeline of the upcoming Tory leadership race.
By October 28, Britain will have its third prime minister in less than six months.
Thursday October 20
6pm: Nomination papers to be PM open. Nominations will need the name of 100 Tory MPs
Monday October 24
2pm: Nominations close
2.30pm: Hustings for candidates who win 100 backers
3.30pm: First MP ballot takes place
6pm: Result of first ballot announced
6.30pm – 8.30pm: Second ballot (if required)
9pm: Announcement of top two candidates
Tuesday October 25
Ballot opens up to Tory members if two candidates are still standing
Friday
The winner of the members’ ballot and new PM is announced
Labour boasts party is ‘very prepared’ for general election
Sir Keir Starmer has boasted how the Labour party is “very prepared” for a general election and has a manifesto ready.
“There’s a manifesto that is going to be ready whenever an election is called,” the Leader of the Opposition told the BBC’s Newscast podcast.
“I’ve had a team working on that. I’ve had a team working on general election preparedness.
“We’ve moved our teams on to a general election footing. And I’ve got in place all the grids I need for a general election.
“So we’re very, very prepared, should there be a general election.”
What YOU need to know about PM hopeful Penny Mordaunt
The Commons chief appeared a favourite with members during the leadership race but ultimately finished third in the vote.
The ex-Defence Secretary has been a thorn in the PM’s side despite sitting beside her in cabinet for the last two months.
But she is highly divisive among MPs, and is unlikely to command a majority of them.
Currently, she is 7/2 to be the next PM
Tory MP threatens to quit if Boris returns
One Tory MP has threatened to resign from his position if Bors were to make a dramatic return to Downing Street.
“I would find it impossible to serve under Boris coming back and being prime minister… I think that is one person I would have problems with,” said John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay in Essex.
He added: “We’ve now got to look forward and pick a new candidate, somebody who has credibility, experience and can unite the party.”
Boris already has 18 backers, reports claim
The road to 100 backers will be long, but according to Sky News, Boris Johnson already has 18 supporters among Tory MPs.
This is second only to Rishi Sunak, with 20 nominations as things stand.
Voting will close on Monday at 2pm, before the decision is put to Tory party members.
BLUES CLUES – HOW BORIS DROPPED TIPS OF A COMPEBACK
Clue 1 Boris ended his Commons swan-song with the farewell song, which is what I remember. “hasta la vista baby”. The phrase was coined by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, who also famously says “I’ll be back”.
Clue 2. In his final goodbye at No10, the PM compared himself and Cincinnatus to be a Roman stateman “returning to his plough”. Cincinnatus was later elected dictator.
Clue 3 – Boris is not completely absent from politics, but he has been a tireless defender of Ukraine and was elected to the chair of Conservative Friends of Ukraine.
Clue 4: His fiercest supporter Nadine Dorries has continued to make the case for Boris, even suggesting he should be on the last leadership ballot – something the ex PM didn’t deny.
Clue 5 : Boris is now eligible to run for the presidency, unlike some of his predecessors.