The new prime minister of the United Kingdom will be announced on September 5, with the first votes to begin removing candidates in the increasingly unexpected and acrimonious race to replace Boris Johnson taking place this week.
The 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, which organizes the leadership campaign, stated that candidates must receive at least 20 nominations among the party's 358 parliamentarians in order to advance to Wednesday's first round of voting.
Some 11 candidates have thus far entered the race to succeed Johnson as leader of the ruling Conservative Party and prime minister, following his resignation on the heels of a rebellion by his own MPs and ministers in the wake of scandals.
Any candidate who receives fewer than 30 votes will be eliminated before the next voting on Thursday. To earn the support of their colleagues, almost all of the candidates have pledged substantial tax cuts.
Graham Brady, the committee chair, stated, "I'd like to see this completed as quickly, efficiently, and easily as possible."
Lawmakers will narrow the field to two candidates before a postal vote of the Conservative Party's members, totaling fewer than 200,000, takes place in the summer.
According to a poll conducted by the Conservative Home website on Monday, former defense minister Penny Mordaunt is the most popular candidate among party members, followed by equalities minister Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak, whose departure as finance minister contributed to Johnson's downfall.
"There appears to be a sizable field and a lively competition at the moment," Brady stated, adding that he is optimistic they will have a very "healthy, productive conversation about the future course of the Conservative Party" in addition to a really constructive contest.
After one of the most turbulent moments in modern British political history, more than half of the cabinet officials and aides resigned, criticizing Johnson's character, honesty, and incapacity to tell the truth.
The future Conservative leader will also have to reverse the party's dwindling support. A poll conducted on Monday by Savanta ComRes placed the opposition Labour Party at 43 percent, compared to 28 percent for the Conservatives, its largest polling lead since 2013.
Former finance minister Sajid Javid, one of the contenders, criticized what he termed "poisonous gossip" and "attack memos" circulated over the weekend by some colleagues.
"This is not 'House of Cards' or 'Game of Thrones,' and those who are here only because they like the show are in the wrong place. This is a time for cooperation, not division," he said.
