The embattled but consequential British PM is heading out.
Boris Johnson is set to resign as Conservative leader and will step down as prime minister when a new leader is found.
He quits Downing Street after less than three years in the job, despite having won a huge majority in the 2019 general election.
Outgoing prime ministers are usually expected to stay in office until a successor is found. But how does that happen?
Once a Conservative leader has stood down, an election for a new party leader is triggered. Under the current rules, candidates need the support of eight Conservative MPs to stand.
Once all the candidates have declared – if there are more than two candidates – Tory MPs will hold a series of votes until only two remain.
- in the first round, candidates must get 5% of the votes to stay in the running (currently 18 MPs)
- in the second round, they must get 10% (currently 36 MPs)
- in the following rounds, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated
When two MPs are left, all Conservative Party members around the country – so not just MPs – will vote for the winner.
The timescale for each contest is decided by the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, and the committee could vote to change the rules before the contest takes place.
What’s interesting is that usually they will call an election to reset the Parliament to pick a new PM. But it looks like since he is stepping down without a vote of no confidence, the Conservatives will just choose a new leader. I may be reading that wrong. I’m not an expert in Parliamentary procedure. But if that’s the case, it’s a smart move by the Conservative Party. I bet the Dems in America wish they could replace their leader without going through an election.
without going through an election.
Or an impeachment.
On topic: BoJo was the #1 supporter of pushing NATO into war over Ukraine. Since that’s as popular as herpes in the real US (not DC), it’s likely as popular as herpes in real England, too. His departure gives the Tories a chance to moderate their stand. Let’s see if they’re smart enough to take that opportunity.