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Tories elect new prime minister
Brits are looking for a new Boris: This is how the fight for Johnson’s successor works
Waving goodbye: Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Great Britain
© Tayfun Salci/ / Picture Alliance
Britain is looking for a new Prime Minister. Who will succeed Boris Johnson – and how is the search for his successor going? Answers to the most important questions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s legacy is hotly contested. Eight candidates made it onto the shortlist. Now it’s the fraction’s turn. How is the decision made? Who has the best chance? Answers to the most important questions.
Why does the country need a new leadership?
The last scandal was one too many: after considerable pressure from his Conservative Party, Johnson announced that he would be stepping down from the leadership of the party and thus of the government. However, the 58-year-old wants to remain in Downing Street until the successor has been clarified. Ultimately, he fell over a fellow party member who is accused of drunkenly groping two men. Johnson finally had to admit that he had heaved the man into an important parliamentary group office – despite being aware of allegations of sexual harassment.
How does the election process work?
The 358 members of the conservative parliamentary group in the lower house make the selection first, in a secret ballot. In the first round of voting this Wednesday, anyone who does not have at least 30 supporters behind them will be kicked out. Then, in each subsequent round, the last place finisher is screened out – until there are only two left. Then the party members decide by letter in a runoff. How many Tories are eligible to vote is unknown. Estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000. The decision should be made by September 5 at the latest. Then Parliament returns from the summer recess.
Who are the candidates?
The list of candidates includes both high-ranking cabinet members and outsiders. Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak is considered set for the final round. The 42-year-old has gathered numerous prominent supporters around him. However, he also faces strong rejection because he is held responsible for the largest tax increase in decades and is considered an opponent of Johnson. Secretary of State Liz Truss and Secretary of State for Commerce Penny Mordaunt are expected to duel deliver second place. Truss is considered the favorite of Johnson loyalists, Mordaunt the darling of the conservative base.
What does the vote mean for the Conservative Party?
The announcements of the candidates are similar. All promise tax breaks. It already looks like the Tories are moving even further to the right. Anyone who doubts Brexit or wants to return to the EU internal market has no chance. In the dispute with the EU over special rules for Northern Ireland, there is no contradiction to Johnson’s plans to overturn the agreement. Some candidates have already announced plans to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights as well. When it comes to migration, too, the applicants are sticking to controversial projects. Those who have entered Germany illegally are to be brought to Rwanda in East Africa without their asylum application being examined and regardless of their nationality.
Will there be a new election?
That’s what the opposition demands. A new prime minister should also be under pressure to justify himself. Accusations are likely to come quickly, without any action on their part, only from Johnsons excellent result in 2019. The problem: polls currently see the Labor Party well ahead of the Tories. Many Conservative MPs are not interested in an early election because they could lose their seats. There is no legal compulsion for a new election after a change in Downing Street, but the pressure is likely to increase. Regular date for the next parliamentary election: 2024.
What are the construction sites for the new Premier?
The tasks are huge. The party is torn. Your image is in ruins after a number of scandals. In by-elections, there was recently heavy clapping. Johnson always emphasizes that the British economy came out of the corona pandemic strongly. But the numbers paint a different picture: the population is suffering from the highest inflation in around 40 years and the highest taxes in around 70 years. There is hardly any room for maneuver because of the Russian war against Ukraine. Energy costs continue to rise on the island as well. In contrast to the EU states, the negative economic consequences of Brexit are becoming increasingly clear.