At last there is white smoke in the negotiations over the rules for the Tory leadership contest. On Monday, the 1922 committee met and agreed a timetable for the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative party leader. The plan is for a new leader to be unveiled 2 November with eligible candidates to throw their name into the ring before the summer recess.
It comes after a dispute over how long the contest should drag on for. When the 1922 and Conservative board met last week, there was a clash of views with the board pushing for a contest to be completed by or at this year’s Conservative conference and several Tory MPs asking for more time so as not to rush into a decision. It is the latter group who have come out on top.
Rather than announcing the new leader at the October conference, the annual Tory meet will be used as a beauty parade ahead of a later vote with a leader to be unveiled on 2 November.
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