Summer 2022 Conservative Party leadership election

The ongoing **2022 Conservative Party leadership election** will determine the next Leader of the Conservative Party and therefore the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The election, triggered by Boris Johnson's resignation as party leader on 7 July 2022, began on 12 July, and concluded following party members vote, with Liz Truss as the winning candidate.

Johnson was elected to succeed Theresa May after May had been unable to secure a majority for her Brexit withdrawal agreement. Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt in the final round of the 2019 Conservative Party Leadership Election, and later called a general election, on a platform of completing the UK's withdrawal from the European Union after losing his working majority to defections and his own suspensions of rebel members of Parliament (MPs). The Conservatives won their biggest majority since 1987 and Johnson was able to pass a revised version of May's withdrawal agreement.

The COVID-19 pandemic spread in the United Kingdom in early 2020. The government instituted public health restrictions, including limitations on social interaction that Johnson and some of his staff were later found to have broken in the Partygate scandal. Johnson's premiership has been characterised by a string of political controversies, also described by journalistic sources as scandals, since he became prime minister. Johnson won a confidence vote by Conservative MPs in June 2022. From 5 to 7 July, following the Chris Pincher scandal, over 60 government ministers, parliamentary private secretaries, trade envoys, and party chairmen resigned. This was the largest series of such resignations in British history, and many previously supportive MPs called for Johnson to resign. This brought about a government crisis. On 7 July, Johnson announced that he would resign as party leader but remain as prime minister until a successor is elected. The next Conservative leader, either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, is expected to be known by 5 September 2022.

## Procedure

The process for the 2022 leadership election was approved by the Conservative 1922 Committee on 11 July. Nominations open and close on 12 July, with each candidate needing to have nominations from at least 20 Conservative MPs to reach the first ballot. Johnson, as the departing leader, is not eligible to run in the ensuing contest.

Under the new rules for the 2022 contest, in the first round, on 13 July, candidates will require 30 votes from MPs to avoid dropping out. In each subsequent round, from 14 July onwards, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated.

Finally, when only two candidates remain, Conservative Party members will vote to decide between them on a one-member-one-vote basis. The candidate who receives the most votes wins the contest. There will be a series of public hustings during the summer months. The new Conservative leader and thus Prime Minister is expected to be announced on 5 September, when the House of Commons returns from the summer recess. On 13 July, Johnson stated he plans to go to Buckingham Palace and resign on Tuesday 6 September, with the new Prime Minister to be appointed by Queen Elizabeth II later that day.

## Candidates

### Nominated

Eight candidates were nominated on 12 July, having qualified for the first round of voting among Conservative MPs by gaining at least 20 nominations:

### Withdrew

The following candidates declared their run for leadership of the Conservative Party, but they withdrew before being nominated.

### Publicly expressed interest

The following Conservative Party politicians publicly expressed interest in running for the leadership but did not stand:

* Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe *(endorsed Braverman, then Truss)*
* John Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay *(endorsed Mordaunt)*
* Jake Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen *(endorsed Tugendhat)*
* Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon and Secretary of State for Wales *(endorsed Sunak)*
* Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport *(endorsed Truss)*
* Priti Patel, MP for Witham and Home Secretary
* Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP for North East Somerset and Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency[better source needed] *(endorsed Truss)*
* Bill Wiggin, MP for North Herefordshire *(endorsed Badenoch)*

### Declined

The following Conservative Party politicians have been speculated as potential candidates for the leadership but declined to stand:

* David Davis, MP for Haltemprice and Howden *(endorsed Mordaunt)*
* Simon Clarke, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and Chief Secretary to the Treasury *(endorsed Truss)*
* James Cleverly, MP for Braintree and Secretary of State for Education *(endorsed Truss)*
* Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East *(endorsed Zahawi, then Mordaunt)*
* Michael Gove, MP for Surrey Heath *(endorsed Badenoch)*
* Matt Hancock, MP for West Suffolk *(endorsed Sunak)*
* Mark Harper, MP for Forest of Dean *(endorsed Sunak)*
* Gillian Keegan, MP for Chichester and Minister of State for Care and Mental Health *(endorsed Sunak)*
* Kwasi Kwarteng, MP for Spelthorne and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy *(endorsed Truss)*
* Esther McVey, MP for Tatton *(endorsed Hunt)*
* Dominic Raab, MP for Esher and Walton, Secretary of State for Justice, Lord Chancellor, and Deputy Prime Minister *(endorsed Sunak)*
* Alexander Stafford, MP for Rother Valley
* Ben Wallace, MP for Wyre and Preston North and Secretary of State for Defence *(endorsed Truss)*

## Debates

**Key:**

* **P** = Participant
* **I** = Invitee
* **A** = Absent
* **O** = Eliminated/withdrew before debate
* **H** = Debate halted
* **C** = Debate Cancelled

## Results

### Qualify Vote

To appear on the ballot for the first round, a candidate was required to have the support of 20 other Conservative MPs. Rehman Chishti, Sajid Javid, and Grant Shapps dropped out of the race before nominations closed, because they failed to reach the threshold.

### First Ballot (13 July 2022)

The results of the first MP ballot were announced on 13 July 2022, as follows:

 Kemi Badenoch
 Suella Braverman
 Jeremy Hunt
 Penny Mordaunt
 Rishi Sunak
 Liz Truss
 Tom Tugendhat
 Nadhim Zahawi
 Votes cast
 Abstentions
 Registered Vote
 **Eliminated Candidates:** Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi

Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi were eliminated for not reaching the required number of votes to continue to the second ballot. The remainder continued to the second ballot.

### Second Ballot (14 July 2022)

The results of the second MP ballot were announced on 14 July 2022, as follows:

Suella Braverman was eliminated from the leadership race, as she had the fewest number of votes in this ballot. The remainder continued to the third ballot.

### Third Ballot (18 July 2022)

The results of the third MP ballot were announced on 18 July 2022, as follows:

Tom Tugendhat was eliminated from the leadership race, as he had the fewest number of votes in this ballot. The remainder continued to the fourth ballot.

### Fourth Ballot (19 July 2022)

The results of the third MP ballot were announced on 19 July 2022, as follows:

 Kemi Badenoch
 Penny Mordaunt
 Rishi Sunak
 Liz Truss
 Votes cast
 Abstentions/spoilt ballots
 Registered Vote
 **Eliminated Candidate:** Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch was eliminated from the leadership race, as she had the fewest number of votes in this ballot. The remainder continued to the final ballot.

### Fifth Ballot (20 July 2022)

The results of the fifth and final MP ballot were announced on 20 July 2022. The last two candidates would continue to the member vote, which would decide who would become the next Conservative party Leader and Prime Minister. The results were as follows:

 Penny Mordaunt
 Rishi Sunak
 Liz Truss
 Votes cast
 Abstentions/spoilt ballots
 Registered Vote
 **Eliminated Candidate:** Penny Mordaunt

Penny Mordaunt was eliminated from the leadership race, as she had the fewest number of votes in this ballot. The final two, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, are to continue to the members' vote, and one will be elected Party Leader and therefore also Prime Minister.

### Final Ballot: Members' Vote (5 September 2022

The final ballot, in which all Conservative Party members were eligible to vote, taking place from 22 July to 2 September, with the results as follows.

 Liz Truss
 Rishi Sunak
 Votes cast
 Abstentions/spoilt ballots
 Registered Vote
 **Elected Leader:** Liz Truss