BoJo’s Resignation: How Will Johnson’s Successor Be Picked?

A number of former and current UK government officials have already signaled their readiness to take part in the leadership race following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday. Favorites to succeed BoJo include former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

Now that Boris Johnson has resigned as the UK prime minister, the Conservative Party reportedly plans to wrap up the two-stage contest to pick a new leader before October. Here’s a closer look into how the process is expected to develop.

Caretaker Prime Minister

Johnson announced on Thursday that he would step down as party leader, adding that he plans to remain in office as prime minister until a successor is chosen, possibly until the autumn.

If such a scenario flops, a caretaker prime minister could be installed while the party leadership election process takes place.

In a letter to chair of the 1922 Committee Graham Brady, former Conservative prime minister John Major insisted that Johnson must not be allowed to stay at No 10 as a caretaker prime minister over the summer.

“The proposal for the prime minister to remain in office – for up to three months – having lost the support of his cabinet, his government and his parliamentary party is unwise, and may be unsustainable”, Major argued.

Two-Stage Process

The timetable to nominate candidates to replace Johnson is due to be set out next week. Senior Tory officials hope to conclude the two-stage contest ahead of the Conservative party’s annual conference, scheduled for October.

During the first stage, the 358 Conservative members of parliament are expected to whittle the nominees down to two by holding successive rounds of voting in which the bottom candidate is eliminated each time. Bloomberg news agency reported that the process of selecting the final two candidates should be completed by July 21 because that is when the MPs go on their summer recess.

The second stage will see tens of thousands of grassroots party members pick the winner in a secret ballot, a process that is expected to be wrapped up by September.

How Long Will the Contest Last

In 2019, Johnson replaced Theresa May, with the entire leadership process unfolding for about six weeks.

If the new leader is able to command the confidence of the Commons, they would not be required to call a general election.

Possible Successors

Many senior MPs are expected to take part in the leadership race, with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid seen as favorites, according to recent opinion polls.

On Thursday, Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat became the first Conservative MP to launch a leadership bid following Johnson's announcement that he was resigning. In an article published by the Daily Telegraph, the Tory backbencher urged his party “to make government work for the people once again” and “give them that clean start.”

Also signaling their intentions to succeed BoJo were Attorney General Suella Braverman, Minister of State for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.

Could BoJo Run Again?

The scenario is highly unlikely to take place, given that Johnson told head of the 1922 Committee Graham Brady that he would only continue until a new leader is elected.

“I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week. And I’ve today appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place,” BoJo noted in his resignation statement.