‘Stop Kemi’: Inside the Tory leadership contest

On Monday night the Conservatives announced the rules of the party’s leadership contest. The reaction in Labour circles was incredulity that their run of good luck has not yet ended. ‘A three-month contest?’ asked one amazed party figure. Are there any candidates who Keir Starmer’s team fears? ‘I doubt the next Tory prime minister is in this parliamentary party,’ replied a senior Labour politician.

 The decision to delay picking a new leader until November means Starmer’s government will be, in effect, unopposed as it holds its party conference and then its first Budget. The Tories will be a danger only to each other. Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt will go through the motions of opposition, but neither will pack much punch, given that they’ll soon be on the backbenches.

The lengthy schedule is designed to allow time to heal old wounds and avoid rushing into a decision MPs later regret. ‘The idea of having two leaders by the next election will just underline our reputation for deranged regicide,’ says one probable candidate.