Conservative Members of Parliament will vote again on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, as they continue the process of choosing the two candidates for leader who will be put to a vote of members.
One of the four remaining contenders, Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, and Kemi Badenoch, will be eliminated when the result is announced later. Per the voting pattern so far, Mr. Sunak looks almost certain to make the final two, with the other three candidates vying for second place.
Separately, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will hold his last scheduled cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, ahead of Westminster’s summer recess. The Conservative Party wanted Members of Parliament to choose the two candidates to replace him before the Commons finishes on Thursday, July 21, 2022, and the final vote is set to take place on Wednesday.
After a summer of campaigning by the two final contenders, grassroots Tories will vote for who should become the leader, with the winner to be announced on September 5, 2022.
The Current Results
Senior Backbencher, Tom Tugendhat, who was part of the race got knocked out after Monday’s (July 18, 2022) voting. Mr. Tugendhat was eliminated after receiving 31 votes, down one from his performance in the second round last Thursday, July 14, 2022.
The other candidates placed in the same order with Mr. Sunak coming out on top with a total of 115 votes. Mrs. Mordaunt dropped one vote but held onto second place with 82 votes, while Mrs. Truss gained seven votes to bring her total up to 71. Mrs. Badenoch placed fourth with 58 votes, up with nine votes from the previous round.
Comments from Conservative Members
In a statement, Mr. Tugendhat said “I want to thank my team, colleagues and, most of all, the British people for their support”.
“I have been overwhelmed by the response we have received across the country. People are ready for a clean start and our party must deliver on it and put trust back into politics.”
Senior Backbencher, Tom Tugendhat
But Mrs. Mordaunt said “My vote is steady and I’m grateful to my colleagues for all their support and thrilled to be in second place once more.” A prominent Sunak supporter said “That’s a cracking result, Rishi gaining most [votes].” A Badenoch campaign source said “Kemi is pleased to have taken it to the next vote. She has momentum over both Mordaunt and Truss. It’s all to play for and Kemi is in it to win”. A source within Mrs. Truss’s campaign told the media that “We’ve narrowed the gap to Penny pretty considerably. Story is Penny going backwards. All to play for!”.
A debate organized by Sky News, scheduled for Tuesday, July 19, 2022, was cancelled after Mr. Sunak and Mrs. Truss declined to take part. This was amid concerns among senior Tories advising that airing disagreements in public could damage the party.
In Other Developments
Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson is expected to praise the resilience of schools and the National Health Service (NHS) in continuing to function during the current heatwave when his cabinet meets formally for the last time on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.
He will also use the occasion to mark a year since England moved to step four of the Covid roadmap, which brought an end to most of the remaining lockdown restrictions. Monday, July 18, 2022, also saw the government win a vote of confidence in itself in the Commons by 349 votes to 238, having a majority of 111. The vote could have triggered a general election had the government lost, although that would have required dozens of Conservative MPs to side with Labour and other opposition parties.
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