The 2019 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
announced on 24 May 2019 that she would resign as
leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June and as
prime minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
once a successor had been elected. Nominations opened on 10 June; 10 candidates were nominated. The first ballot of
members of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MPs) took place on 13 June, with
exhaustive ballots of MPs also taking place on 18, 19 and 20 June, reducing the candidates to two. The general membership of the party elected the leader by postal ballot; the result was announced on 23 July,
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
being elected with almost twice as many votes as his opponent
Jeremy Hunt.
Speculation about a leadership election first arose following the party's performance at the
2017 snap general election. May had called it in hope of increasing her parliamentary majority for
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
negotiations. However, the Conservatives lost their overall majority in the
House of Commons. Subsequent speculation arose from the difficulties May had in obtaining a Brexit deal acceptable to the Conservative Party. These increased in November 2018, with members of the
Eurosceptic
Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...
European Research Group
The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group and caucus of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The journalist Sebastian Payne described it in the ''Financial Times'' as "the most influential e ...
pushing for a vote of no confidence in May; the forty-eight letter threshold to force a confidence vote was met in December 2018; however, May won the vote and remained in office. In early 2019,
Parliament repeatedly voted against May's
proposed deal, leading to her resignation.
The first members' vote leadership election of the Conservative Party was held in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, but since then the party had been in opposition during all leadership elections except in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, which concluded with
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
withdrawing before the members' vote. Johnson became the first Conservative Party leader elected by members to immediately assume the role of Prime Minister.
Background
After the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
saw a 52% to 48% vote in favour of leaving,
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
resigned as leader of the Conservative Party and as prime minister, triggering the
2016 Conservative Party leadership election
The 2016 Conservative Party leadership election was held due to Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation as party leader. He had resigned after losing the national referendum to leave the European Union. Cameron, who supported Britain's cont ...
.
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
, then serving as
home secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
, won the contest after the withdrawal of
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
, and succeeded Cameron as prime minister on 13 July 2016.
Snap general election and aftermath
May began the process of
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
, the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, by triggering
Article 50
Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
on 29 March 2017. In April 2017, May announced a snap
general election in June in order to "strengthen her hand" when she negotiated with the European Union. May aimed to substantially increase the Conservative Party's slim majority, with opinion polls originally predicting a landslide victory for her party. However, the result was a hung parliament, with the number of Conservative seats falling from 330 to 317. This prompted her to broker a
confidence and supply deal with Northern Ireland's
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...
(DUP) to support her minority government.
May's handling of the campaign was widely criticised, particularly the role of her chiefs of staff
Nick Timothy
Nicholas James Timothy (born March 1980) is a British political adviser. He served as Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff, alongside Fiona Hill, to Prime Minister Theresa May, until his resignation in the wake of the 2017 general election.
...
and
Fiona Hill, who both resigned within days of the result. In June 2017,
George Osborne, a former chancellor of the Exchequer, described May as a "dead woman walking". A
YouGov
YouGov is a British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK, with operations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. In 2007, it acquired US company Polimetrix, and sinc ...
poll for ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' had 48% of respondents saying May should resign, with 38% against. A
Survation
Survation is a Opinion poll, polling and market research agency based in London, England. Survation have been conducting research surveys since 2010. Surveys are conducted via telephone, online panel and face to face as well as omnibus research ...
poll for ''
The Mail on Sunday'' showed a similar result.
The former Cabinet minister
Anna Soubry called for May to "consider her position" after the election result. The former Cabinet minister
Nicky Morgan said that May could not lead the Conservative Party into the next general election, and called for a leadership election in the summer or in 2018 before the Brexit deal would be finalised. After the
Grenfell Tower fire
On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours. 72 people died, two later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 escapin ...
in June 2017, May's leadership faced further criticism following her initial refusal to meet victims, and what was described as her poor handling of the crisis.
With May's position weakened, senior figures in the party were said to be preparing for a leadership contest and "jostling for succession". Politicians and journalists did not expect May to lead the party at the next general election.
Tim Shipman
Timothy James Shipman (born 13 May 1975) is a British journalist, who is a former political editor of the British newspaper ''The Sunday Times''.
Shipman attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle in Lincolnshire, and studied History ...
, Political Editor of ''The Sunday Times'', described "the first shots in a battle that could tear the government apart" as the three leading contenders at that time for the leadership,
David Davis,
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
and
Philip Hammond, briefed against each other.
Andrew Mitchell, an ally of Davis, was said to have told a dinner that May was finished and was said to be organising letters to force May to announce her date of departure. A July 2017 report in ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said a core of fifteen Conservative MPs were ready to sign letters of no confidence, with forty-eight needed to trigger a contest.
May reportedly announced to Conservative MPs in August 2017 that she would resign as Prime Minister on 30 August 2019. She then announced on 31 August 2017 that she intended to stay on to fight the next general election, which under the
Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011
The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (c. 14) (FTPA) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that for the first time set in legislation a default fixed election date for a general election to the Westminster parliament. Since the repeal ...
was scheduled to be in 2022, though it could be held earlier.
On 16 September 2017, Johnson published an article in ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' laying out his vision for Brexit. Many saw this as a way of positioning himself for a leadership challenge, though some commentators such as columnist
Iain Dale
Iain Campbell Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author and political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. In 2005, he became the first openly gay Conservative candidate to c ...
and ''
Newsnight''s political editor
Nick Watt argued this was the wrong interpretation and that Johnson's motivation was to assert his influence in Brexit negotiations. The timing of the article—a few days before May was due to give a significant speech on her plans for the UK's relationship with Europe after Brexit, and shortly after a terrorist attack in London—was criticised.
Summer 2018 Cabinet resignations
Following Cabinet agreement for May's proposals on Brexit, Davis resigned as
Brexit secretary
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the Europ ...
on 8 July 2018.
Steve Baker, a minister in the same department, resigned later the same day. On the same day it was reported that May was facing the threat of a leadership contest amid mounting anger from supporters of a hard Brexit over her government's Brexit policy. Backbencher
Andrea Jenkyns
Andrea Marie Jenkyns (born 16 June 1974) is a British politician serving as Deputy Chairwoman of the European Research Group (ERG) since 2019. She was first elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Morley and Outwood in West Yorks ...
called for her to be replaced, saying "Theresa May's premiership is over". Johnson later resigned as Foreign Secretary on 9 July 2018.
A ''Daily Telegraph'' article by Johnson opposing the
burqa ban
The burqa is worn by women in various countries. Some countries have banned it in government offices, schools, or in public places and streets.
There are currently 16 states that have banned the burqa, including Tunisia, Austria, Denmark, Franc ...
in Denmark in early August 2018 sparked controversy over the language he used, saying women wearing the burqa look like letterboxes or bank robbers. Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, writing in the ''New York Times'', saw it as an attempt to court an anti-Islamic segment of the Conservative Party membership, who would be the electorate in the final stage of a leadership campaign. Former attorney general
Dominic Grieve said that he would not remain in the party if Johnson became leader.
Brexit deal presented
In November 2018, May presented her final proposal for an initial Brexit deal following negotiations with the EU. Brexit secretary
Dominic Raab
Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...
and others resigned from the Cabinet in response, with
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
calling for a leadership election for the first time. Members of the
Eurosceptic
Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...
European Research Group
The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group and caucus of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The journalist Sebastian Payne described it in the ''Financial Times'' as "the most influential e ...
including Rees-Mogg and
Baker
A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient history
Since grains ha ...
were seen to be launching a coup in mid-November following the Cabinet resignations. There was considerable speculation about whether enough letters of no confidence would be reached to trigger a vote.
Fifteen percent of the parliamentary party (forty-eight MPs) need to send a letter to the chairman of the
1922 Committee
The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...
to trigger a no confidence vote in the Conservative Party leader. As of early afternoon on 16 November 2018, the BBC reported there were twenty-one MPs who had publicly stated they had sent a letter. Baker asserted that more letters had been sent and that he expected forty-eight to be reached in the week beginning 19 November. Some commentators expressed scepticism about this prediction. By 19 November 2018, twenty-six MPs publicly said they had submitted letters. Baker also suggested that the ERG could draw lots for who would be their candidate in a leadership election. By 20 November, the forty-eight letters had not been reached, with Rees-Mogg predicting that it may be reached in December when the House of Commons was due to vote on May's deal. However, facing likely defeat with opposition from the ERG, DUP and Conservative MPs who had supported Remain during the referendum, the vote in Parliament was delayed to January.
Conservative MPs including
Dominic Grieve and
Kwasi Kwarteng suggested that the party could see members leaving the party or a formal split if the party were led by Johnson.
12 December confidence vote
By 11 December, the public count was still at twenty-six letters from MPs. That day, however,
Owen Paterson
Owen William Paterson (born 24 June 1956) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minist ...
publicly sent his letter and it later became clear that forty-eight letters had been submitted.
May was informed, and chose to contest the vote.
The confidence vote, held on 12 December, was a secret ballot of Conservative MPs.
In the week, May had been meeting EU leaders to discuss changes to her Brexit deal, but cancelled a planned 12 December meeting with the Irish Taoiseach in order to campaign to win the confidence vote.
May and her supporters argued that a defeat for her would mean that Brexit would have to be delayed. In a speech to Conservative MPs immediately before voting, May said that she did not intend to lead the party into the 2022 general election and that she would seek a legally binding addition to the withdrawal agreement with the EU to address concerns over the Northern Ireland backstop.
Two MPs who had been suspended from the party,
Andrew Griffiths and
Charlie Elphicke, had the whip restored on the day of the vote, meaning they could also vote. Griffiths indicated his support for May; Elphicke declined to indicate his preference. There were 317 Conservative MPs able to vote.
Every member of the Cabinet declared their support for May, including Leave supporters in the Cabinet like
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
and
Liam Fox
Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party, Fox has served as th ...
.
Notable Remain supporters in the Conservative Party including
Anna Soubry also declared support for May,
as did May's predecessor,
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
, and the leader and acting leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
The
Tory Reform Group announced their support for May. Notable Leave supporters outside the Cabinet, including
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
and
Bill Cash, said they would vote against her.
May won the vote by 200 for to 117 against. Brexit-supporting MPs varied in their response to the result: some, including Rees-Mogg and Raab, called on her to resign nevertheless, while others such as Paterson called on her to change her Brexit policy. As May won this vote, another party leader confidence vote could not be held for one year under standing rules.
Further Brexit delays and May's final days
![Theresa May declares resignation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Theresa_May_declares_resignation.jpg)
On 27 March 2019, May said she would resign before the next stage of EU negotiations if her Brexit deal was passed. With no resolution around Brexit plans, there was continuing pressure for May to resign through April 2019.
After poor Conservative results in the
2019 local elections—the worst since 1995, when the party lost over 1,000 seats—there were further calls from Conservatives for May to resign. Davis announced his support for Raab, who set out a leadership platform in an interview with ''
The Sunday Times Magazine''.
With one report saying May intended to remain until autumn 2019, further senior Conservatives openly campaigned to replace her, including
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
,
Jeremy Hunt,
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
and
Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer f ...
.
May had said that she wanted Parliament to approve her Brexit plan before the summer recess, after which she would resign, which would have been around late July. Further pressure mounted on May to be clear about her timetable for departure, with May meeting the
1922 Committee
The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...
on the matter on 16 May 2019. There was talk about the Committee changing its rules to allow a new vote of no confidence in May to be held sooner. May was reported as having agreed to stand down by 30 June 2019.
On 21 May, May made a speech outlining her plan to introduce an EU withdrawal agreement bill in June that would allow the Commons to make amendments, such as amendments in favour of a Customs Union or a second referendum, but this was received badly by much of her own party as well as by other parties.
There were growing calls for her to resign on 22 May, the day before the
European Parliament elections.
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
, the leader of the House of Commons, resigned that day. May had planned to publish the bill on 24 May, but on polling day (23 May) she abandoned that plan, with publication delayed until early June. On 24 May she announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, effective on 7 June 2019.
Election procedure
The principles of the procedure for selecting the leader of the Conservative Party are set in the party's constitution, while the detailed rules are agreed by the
1922 Committee
The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...
executive in consultation with the Conservative Party Board.
Nominations for the leadership are invited by the chairman of the 1922 Committee, who acts as returning officer. When nominations close, a list of valid nominations is published. If there is only one valid nomination, that person is elected. If two valid nominations are received, both names go forward to the party membership, whose numbers equate to about 0.35% of the UK electorate. Party members can vote even if they live abroad and are not UK citizens;
If more than two nominations are received, a ballot is held within the Parliamentary party. An
exhaustive ballot system is used to select two candidates to go forward to the party membership. The 1922 Committee executive considered changing the rules such that four candidates would go to the ballot of the party membership; they also recommended increasing the number of
MP nominations required to eight. On 4 June a rule change was accepted by the party board, whereby candidates would require the support of eight MPs to be nominated, then the support of at least 5% of the
Parliamentary Conservative Party in the first ballot, and 10% in the second ballot in order to proceed further.
In 2019, this equated to requiring the support of 17 MPs in the first ballot and 33 in the second.
If all candidates met the threshold then the candidate with fewest votes would be eliminated. If three or more candidates remained after the second ballot, further ballots would be held, eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes and repeating this process until two candidates remained.
Nominations opened on 7 June and closed on 10 June. The first ballot was held on 13 June, with subsequent ballots being held on 18, 19 and 20 June. The first membership hustings was scheduled for 22 June and the ballot of the membership was to take place over the following month, with the winner announced on 23 July.
Campaign
Speculation
A large number of candidates attracted attention or were the subject of speculation over an extended period before the election was called. In 2017, the main contenders were initially seen to be
Philip Hammond, David Davis,
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
and
Amber Rudd. By early August 2017,
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
was receiving considerable attention and he had risen to second in the betting markets after Davis. There was considerable speculation that the party's leader in Scotland,
Ruth Davidson, could attempt to become the next leader, despite being ineligible as she was not an MP at Westminster.
In September 2018, she said that she did not want the job and would focus on politics in Scotland.
Following renewed speculation about May's leadership after Johnson and Davis resigned from the Cabinet in summer 2018, press interest focused on Johnson, Rees-Mogg,
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
,
Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer f ...
and
Jeremy Hunt.
Dominic Raab
Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...
became Brexit Secretary after Davis. In November 2018, following his resignation from the role over a proposed deal on the UK's departure from the European Union, Raab became the bookmakers' favourite to be new leader, followed by Javid or Johnson. Raab opposed holding a leadership election, but did not rule out his candidacy.
Esther McVey, who resigned her position as
work and pensions secretary
The secretary of state for work and pensions, also referred to as the work and pensions secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Work and P ...
on the same day, indicated that she would stand as a candidate if she had support.
By December 2018, Johnson, Javid and Rudd were all reported to be contemplating running if May were voted out.
In November and December, other potential candidates included Gove, Hunt, Raab, Davis and
Penny Mordaunt. Bookmakers had Johnson as most likely to succeed May on the morning of 12 December confidence vote.
Candidates declare
On 2 May 2019,
Rory Stewart, the
international development secretary
The minister of state for development and Africa, formerly the minister of state for development and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom.
The off ...
, announced his candidacy for the leadership. He stated that he would "bring the country together" as Prime Minister. Following a poor result for the party in the
2019 local elections on 2 May 2019,
Dominic Raab
Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...
,
Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer f ...
,
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
and
Matt Hancock gave speeches and interviews that the journalist
Tim Shipman
Timothy James Shipman (born 13 May 1975) is a British journalist, who is a former political editor of the British newspaper ''The Sunday Times''.
Shipman attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle in Lincolnshire, and studied History ...
described as a "beauty contest between those jostling to succeed
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
".
On 4 May 2019,
David Davis announced he would not seek the party leadership, and would instead support Raab if he chose to run. On 8 May 2019,
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
, the
Leader of the House of Commons
The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The leader is generally a member or attendee of the cabinet of the ...
, stated she was "seriously considering" a second bid for the party leadership.
On 9 May 2019, McVey announced she would be standing for the leadership. She stated that she had "enough support" from fellow MPs to "go forward" once May stepped down as Prime Minister.
On 24 May, the day May resigned, Johnson told an economic conference in Switzerland that, "We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal." Stewart ruled out serving in a cabinet under Johnson over Johnson's support for a no-deal Brexit, which he believed was "undeliverable, unnecessary and is going to damage our country and economy." On the same day,
Jeremy Hunt announced his candidacy for the leadership at a festival in his constituency.
Matt Hancock,
Dominic Raab
Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...
, and
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
announced their candidacies the following day, 25 May;
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
declared his own shortly afterwards, on 26 May,
Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer f ...
and
Kit Malthouse following the next day.
On 28 May, Gove promised to remove the charge for UK citizenship applications from EU nationals if elected.
Hunt condemned a no-deal Brexit as "suicide", but McVey said it would be "political suicide" to not leave at the earliest opportunity.
Both
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
and
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
invited candidates to debates.
On 29 May, James Cleverly announced his candidacy.
Hunt and Stewart both admitted during campaigning that they had taken
illegal drugs in the past when abroad. The
former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith
Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was S ...
warned on 30 May that there were too many candidates running and urged the 1922 committee to "accelerate the process."
That same day,
Mark Harper announced his candidacy.
On 1 June, Liz Truss revealed an article of hers to be published the following day in ''
The Mail on Sunday'', providing Johnson with his first endorsement from a Cabinet minister.
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
said: "I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent."
When prompted on Gove and Hunt, Trump said he liked the latter, and criticised the former for his stance on Iran.
After recess
On 2 June, Sam Gyimah said no deal would be an "abject failure" and entered the race as the only candidate to back a referendum on the Brexit deal, with the options of remaining in the EU, leaving without a deal, or leaving with the current deal.
He withdrew eight days later.
The One Nation conservative caucus of MPs announced a series of hustings over the week prior to close of nominations on 10 June.
With so many candidates in the race, candidates with less support from fellow MPs were under mounting pressure to leave the leadership race. James Cleverly
and then Kit Malthouse
dropped out of the race on 4 June.
On the same day, the 1922 Committee decided on a rule change to the contest, determining that to make the ballot, MPs must have eight nominations by 10 June. The last-placed candidate in each round would be eliminated, but in addition, to survive the first and second ballots, MPs must obtain at least 5% and 10% of the total available votes (313) respectively (plus one representing their own vote; i.e., 17 and 33 respectively). The contest was to end in the week beginning 22 July.
By 5 June, Johnson was the clear favourite with the bookmakers, with Gove second favourite.
In the hustings, Javid said he did not want to "become the Brexit Party" but Johnson said the party needed to "deliver Brexit on 31 October",
whilst Hancock called
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
an anti-Semite.
On 7 June, Gove admitted to taking
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
twenty years previously.
Before nominations formally opened on 10 June, Johnson promised to cut income tax for higher earners
and Gove to reduce
VAT
A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
.
Johnson also pledged to refuse to pay £39 billion to the EU.
The candidates Hunt, Raab, Hancock, McVey and Gove all formally launched their campaigns on 10 June.
Johnson launched his campaign on 12 June. He sidestepped a question about his previous admission that he had taken cocaine.
Raab said that he would be willing to
prorogue
Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the period ...
Parliament in order to ensure the UK's departure from the European Union, particularly in order to leave without a deal. Johnson refused to rule out prorogation, leading to Stewart saying that he would set up an "alternative Parliament" to stop him if he prorogued Parliament.
On 13 June, the chancellor
Philip Hammond wrote to candidates asking them to restrict themselves in any policy pledges they made to the current 2% of GDP deficit limit. This followed Raab saying he would reduce the
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
basic rate by 5p costing more than £20 billion annually, and Johnson saying he would raise the higher tax rate starting threshold from £50,000 to £80,000 costing £10 billion annually.
MP ballots
In the first MP ballot on 13 June, Leadsom, Harper and McVey were eliminated as they failed to obtain 17 votes. Johnson came first, with over a third of MPs' support—enough to ensure, were none of those who voted for him to change their minds in subsequent ballots, that he would be one of the final two on whom the membership voted. Hancock withdrew the next day.
Johnson was criticised for avoiding media interviews and not participating in the first TV debate, held on 16 June on Channel 4. All the other candidates took part, with an Opinium survey of those watching the debate having Stewart as the winner.
In the second MP ballot on 18 June, Johnson retained his substantial lead, increased by twelve compared to the first ballot. Hunt retained second place, but Stewart was the biggest gainer, up 18. Raab was eliminated as both the bottom candidate and for getting less than the required 33 votes. All five remaining candidates, Johnson, Hunt, Gove, Stewart and Javid, took part in a BBC debate later that same day. One poll after the debate found Stewart again to be the winner, but a second found Johnson ahead.
The third MP ballot on 19 June saw the top three remain the same (Johnson, Hunt, Gove). Stewart was the only candidate to lose votes compared to the previous round, down ten to come last, and was thus eliminated.
The fourth and fifth MP ballots were on 20 June. In the fourth ballot, Javid was eliminated, while Gove narrowly overtook Hunt for second place. The fifth ballot to produce a final candidate pairing eliminated Gove, who received two votes fewer than Hunt. There were questions raised as to whether the Johnson campaign encouraged some supporters to vote for Hunt instead in order to knock Gove out of the leadership, given the poor personal relationship between Johnson and Gove since the 2016 leadership election.
Final two
Johnson and Hunt, the final two candidates, were to be put to a vote of about 160,000 Conservative members, with the result to be announced in the week of 22 July.
In the early hours of 21 June, police were called to Johnson's home after neighbours heard an altercation between him and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds. The police attended and subsequently stated they found no need for police action.
A poll conducted on Saturday 22 June showed support for Johnson had fallen sharply following the incident. His eight-point lead earlier in the week had fallen to three points behind Hunt by Saturday morning. Among Tory voters, when asked who would make the best prime minister, Johnson's lead had fallen from 27% to 11% in the same period.
The first of a series of hustings took place in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
on 22 June and was chaired by Iain Dale. During the hustings, Johnson repeatedly refused to answer questions about alleged altercation that took place between himself and Symonds. He claimed that the audience of Conservative members wanted to know "what my plans are for my country and for the party. I don’t think they want to hear about that kind of thing."
On the evening of 22 June, ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' published evidence suggesting close links between Johnson and
Steve Bannon. The video evidence, in which Bannon discussed how he helped Johnson craft the first speech after his resignation as foreign secretary, contradicted Johnson's previous denials of an association with Bannon.
Candidates
Nominated
The following ten MPs were nominated on 10 June. Each candidate needed the nomination of at least eight MPs, but only the proposer and seconder were made public.
Withdrew
The following MPs announced that they would seek the leadership of the Conservative Party but subsequently did not stand, or withdrew from the race, due to insufficient support or other reasons:
;Prior to the first ballot
*
James Cleverly
James Spencer Cleverly (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician and Army Reserve officer who has served as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been ...
,
Brexit minister ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Sam Gyimah
Samuel Phillip Gyimah (; born 10 August 1976) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey from 2010 to 2019. First elected as a Conservative, Gyimah rebelled against the government to block a no-deal Bre ...
, former
universities minister
*
Kit Malthouse,
housing minister A Housing minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for Housing Policy.
Country-related articles and lists
* Australia: Minister for Housing
** Victoria: Minister for Housing
** Western Australia: Minister for ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
Publicly expressed interest
The following MPs publicly expressed interest in the leadership of the Conservative Party but subsequently declined to stand:
*
Steve Baker, deputy chair of the
European Research Group
The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group and caucus of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The journalist Sebastian Payne described it in the ''Financial Times'' as "the most influential e ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Graham Brady, chairman of the
1922 Committee
The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...
*
David Davis, former
Brexit secretary
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the Europ ...
''(endorsed Raab)''
*
Tobias Ellwood,
veterans minister ''endorsed Hancock and Stewart)''
*
Liam Fox
Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party, Fox has served as th ...
,
international trade secretary
The secretary of state for international trade, also referred to as the international trade secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Internat ...
''(endorsed Hunt)''
*
George Freeman, former
life sciences minister ''(endorsed Hancock, Javid, Gove and Johnson)''
*
Justine Greening
Justine Greening (born 30 April 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, she served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2011, Secretary of State for Transport ...
, former
education secretary
*
Philip Hammond,
chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
''(endorsed Hunt)''
*
Damian Hinds
Damian Patrick George Hinds (born 27 November 1969) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation since October 2022. He served as Secretary of State for Education from 2018 to 2019 and Minister of Stat ...
,
education secretary ''(endorsed Gove)''
*
David Lidington,
chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ''(endorsed Hancock then Stewart)''
*
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...
, MP for
Plymouth Moor View ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Penny Mordaunt,
defence secretary
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
''(endorsed Hunt)''
*
Nicky Morgan, chair of the
Treasury Select Committee ''(endorsed Gove)''
*
Jesse Norman,
financial secretary to the Treasury ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Priti Patel
Priti Sushil Patel (born 29 March 1972) is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she was Secretary of State for International Development from 2016 to 2017. Patel has been the Me ...
, former
international development secretary
The minister of state for development and Africa, formerly the minister of state for development and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom.
The off ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Somerset since 2010. Now a backbencher, he served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council ...
, chair of the
European Research Group
The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group and caucus of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The journalist Sebastian Payne described it in the ''Financial Times'' as "the most influential e ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Amber Rudd,
work and pensions secretary
The secretary of state for work and pensions, also referred to as the work and pensions secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Work and P ...
''(endorsed Hunt)''
*
Liz Truss
Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...
,
chief secretary to the Treasury
The chief secretary to the Treasury is a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom. The office is the second most senior in the Treasury, after the chancellor of the Exchequer. The office was created in 1961, to share the burden ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
Declined
The following MPs were reported by the media as potential candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party but subsequently declined to stand:
*
Bim Afolami, MP for
Hitchin and Harpenden
Hitchin and Harpenden is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Bim Afolami, a Conservative.
History
The constituency was created for the 1997 general election from parts of several former Her ...
''(endorsed Hancock, then Johnson)
''
*
Victoria Atkins
Victoria Mary Atkins (born 22 March 1976) is a British politician who has served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury since October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Louth and ...
,
crime minister
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
''(endorsed Javid)''
*
Kemi Badenoch, MP for
Saffron Walden ''(endorsed Gove)''
*
Damian Collins
Damian Noel Thomas Collins (born 4 February 1974) is a British Conservative Party politician who formerly served as Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport between July and October 2022. ...
, chair of the
Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Geoffrey Cox,
attorney general of England and Wales
His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales is one of the law officers of the Crown and the principal legal adviser to sovereign and Government in affairs pertaining to England and Wales. The attorney general maintains the Attorney G ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Oliver Dowden,
parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Alan Duncan
Sir Alan James Carter Duncan (born 31 March 1957) is a British former Conservative Party politician who served as Minister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014 and as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas from 201 ...
,
foreign minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
''(endorsed Hunt)''
*
Iain Duncan Smith
Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was S ...
, former
leader of the Conservative Party ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Michael Fallon, former
defence secretary
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
David Gauke
David Michael Gauke (; born 8 October 1971) is a British political commentator, solicitor and former politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Hertfordshire from 2005 to 2019. He served in the Cabinet under Theresa May, mo ...
,
justice secretary ''(endorsed Stewart)''
*
Damian Green
Damian Howard Green (born 17 January 1956) is a British politician who served as First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office from June to December 2017 in the Second May government. A member of the Conservative Party, he has b ...
, former
first secretary of state ''(endorsed Hancock, then Johnson)''
*
Jo Johnson
Joseph Edmund Johnson, Baron Johnson of Marylebone, (born 23 December 1971) is a British politician who was Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from July to September 2019, as well as previously from 2015 to 2 ...
, former
transport and London minister ''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Phillip Lee, former
justice minister ''(endorsed Gyimah, then Stewart)''
*
Brandon Lewis
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (born 20 June 1971) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor from September to October 2022. He previously served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2018 to 2019 and ...
, chairman of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
*
Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...
,
housing minister A Housing minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for Housing Policy.
Country-related articles and lists
* Australia: Minister for Housing
** Victoria: Minister for Housing
** Western Australia: Minister for ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
*
Gavin Williamson,
defence secretary
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
''(endorsed Johnson)''
Endorsements
Timeline
December–April
*12 December: Conservative MPs vote against a motion of no confidence in May's leadership, 200 to 117. May also announces that she will not lead the Conservative Party into the next general election.
*15 January: The
May government loses the
first "meaningful vote" on Brexit by 432 to 202, the largest defeat for a sitting government in modern history.
*16 January: The House of Commons vote against a
motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
, 325 to 306, moved by the
leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
Jeremy Corbyn.
*12 March: The government loses the
second "meaningful vote" by 391 to 242.
*27 March: Theresa May announces she will resign before the next phase of negotiations if the Brexit withdrawal agreement is approved by MPs on 29 March.
*29 March: The government loses the
third "meaningful vote" by 344 to 286.
May
*2 May:
**The Conservatives lose more than 1,300 council seats and control of 44 councils in
United Kingdom local elections
There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (commonly called 'general elections' when all seats are contested), elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, local electi ...
.
**
Rory Stewart announces his intention to contest the leadership of the Conservative Party after Theresa May steps down.
*9 May:
Esther McVey announces her intention to contest the leadership of the Conservative Party.
*16 May:
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
announces his intention to contest the leadership of the Conservative Party.
*23 May: European Parliament elections are held in the United Kingdom.
*24 May:
**Theresa May reveals that she will resign as party leader on 7 June, and subsequently as prime minister when a new leader is elected.
**
Jeremy Hunt announces his candidacy for the leadership election.
*25 May:
Matt Hancock,
Dominic Raab
Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...
and
Andrea Leadsom
Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Environme ...
announce their candidacies.
*26 May:
**
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
announces his candidacy.
**
Results of the European Parliament election are released, showing the Conservatives placing fifth nationally and losing fifteen of nineteen seats.
*27 May:
Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer f ...
and
Kit Malthouse announce their candidacies.
*29 May:
James Cleverly
James Spencer Cleverly (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician and Army Reserve officer who has served as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been ...
announces his candidacy.
*30 May:
Mark Harper announces his candidacy.
June
*2 June:
Sam Gyimah
Samuel Phillip Gyimah (; born 10 August 1976) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey from 2010 to 2019. First elected as a Conservative, Gyimah rebelled against the government to block a no-deal Bre ...
announces his candidacy.
*4 June:
**Cleverly and Malthouse withdraw their candidacies.
**The party board backs a 1922 Committee proposal to change the candidacy rules, requiring candidates to be supported by a greater number of MPs before being nominated.
*7 June: Theresa May's resignation as leader of the Conservative Party takes effect.
*10 June:
** 10:00 – Nominations for candidates open.
** 17:00 – Nominations close, and the full list of final candidates for the leadership was announced by the 1922 Committee half an hour later.
**Gyimah withdraws his candidacy.
*11–12 June: The 1922 Committee hosts a two-day-long forum, during which the candidates are questioned on their leadership manifestos by an audience of MPs.
*13 June: First MP ballot takes place. Harper, Leadsom and McVey fail to meet the threshold for entering the second round and are eliminated.
*14 June: Hancock withdraws.
*16 June:
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
televises a debate between the candidates, Johnson declines the invitation to attend.
*18 June:
** Second MP ballot takes place. Raab fails to make the threshold for the third round and is eliminated.
**
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
televises a debate between candidates remaining after the results of the second ballot.
*19 June: Third MP ballot takes place. Stewart receives the fewest votes and is eliminated.
*20 June:
** Fourth MP ballot takes place. Javid receives the fewest votes and is eliminated.
** Fifth MP ballot takes place. Gove receives the fewest votes and is eliminated.
*22 June: First public hustings between Hunt and Johnson takes place at the
ICC in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
.
*24 June:
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
announces that it will cancel the debate planned to take place between Hunt and Johnson on 25 June, unless Johnson accepts the broadcaster's invitation.
July
*6–8 July: Conservative Party members receive postal ballots,
with some receiving more than one ballot paper.
*9 July:
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
televises a head-to-head debate between the final two candidates.
*12 July:
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
televises one-on-one interviews by
Andrew Neil with the final two candidates.
*17 July: Final public hustings between Hunt and Johnson takes place at the
ExCeL
ExCeL London (an abbreviation for Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibition centre, international convention centre and former hospital in the Custom House area of Newham, East London. It is situated on a site on the northern quay of the ...
in
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
.
*22 July: 17:00 – Ballot closes.
[
*23 July: Result of the postal ballot announced at the ]Queen Elizabeth II Centre
The Queen Elizabeth II Centre is a conference facility located in the City of Westminster, London, close to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Central Hall Westminster and Parliament Square.
History
The site now occupied by the Queen ...
in Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
. Johnson declared the new Leader of the Conservative Party.
*24 July:
**Theresa May resigns as Prime Minister, after taking her final session of Prime Minister's Questions.
**Boris Johnson is appointed Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
.
Public hustings
Following the fifth ballot of Conservative MPs on 20 June, the final two candidates, Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
, were invited to take place in a series of hustings organised by the party. Each of the sixteen events was held in a different region of the country. A digital hustings was held on 26 June, moderated by Hannah Vaughan Jones and livestreamed on social media (through Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position.
In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
).
Candidate debates
On 28 May, the BBC announced plans to hold televised leadership debates for the candidates that would take place once nominations had closed. All candidates who had not yet been eliminated would be invited to take part in a hustings debate chaired by Emily Maitlis, followed by a '' Question Time'' special with Fiona Bruce. The final two candidates would then have a one-to-one interview with Andrew Neil, which aired on 12 July. On the same day, Sky News also announced plans for a head-to-head leadership debate between the final two candidates in front of an audience of Conservative Party members.
The BBC confirmed that the first debate would be broadcast under the title ''Our Next Prime Minister'' at 20:00 on 18 June 2019 on BBC One, two hours after the second ballot. Members of the public, speaking live from BBC studios around the UK, were to ask questions of the candidates. Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
broadcast a 90-minute debate between the candidates on 16 June, hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
announced on 20 June that they would be holding a head-to-head debate between Hunt and Johnson on 9 July, hosted by Julie Etchingham. The debate also aired in the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
on Virgin Media One.
On 21 June, Sky News presenter Kay Burley announced that their debate was planned to take place on 25 June, but Johnson was not willing to attend. On 24 June, Sky stated the event would not go ahead without Johnson, and would have to be cancelled. The channel also announced that both candidates had been invited to a rescheduled debate on 1 July. Johnson once again declined to attend; Sky News announced that it would hold an interview with Hunt on 1 July, Johnson being invited to be similarly interviewed at another date.
On 10 July, the BBC announced that the ''Question Time'' special was "unlikely to go ahead" on 16 July, due to Johnson's team expressing concerns about the format.
Reaction
Opinion polling
Results
After each ballot of Conservative MPs, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. A new rule was introduced in 2019 due to the number of candidates: In the first ballot, held on 13 June 2019, candidates also needed to pass a threshold of 17 votes to avoid elimination. In the second ballot, held on 18 June, candidates needed to pass a threshold of 33 votes to avoid elimination.
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Domestic and international reaction
The result was announced on 23 July, with Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
chosen by party members to succeed May. Johnson consequently also succeeded May as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
the following day. Outgoing party leader and British prime minister Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
pledged her full support for her successor and called for the rest of the party to unite behind Johnson.
In anticipation of Johnson's election, a number of ministers had announced that they would resign from office, due to his willingness to leave the EU without a deal. On 22 July, Foreign Minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
Alan Duncan
Sir Alan James Carter Duncan (born 31 March 1957) is a British former Conservative Party politician who served as Minister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014 and as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas from 201 ...
tendered his resignation; prior to the leadership election result announced on the following day, Education Minister Anne Milton
Anne Frances Milton (''née'' Turner; born 3 November 1955) is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships from 2017 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Guildford from 2005 to 2019. Elected as ...
stood down from her post, citing "grave concerns" over the new Prime Minister's Brexit policies. On 24 July, chancellor Philip Hammond, justice secretary David Gauke
David Michael Gauke (; born 8 October 1971) is a British political commentator, solicitor and former politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Hertfordshire from 2005 to 2019. He served in the Cabinet under Theresa May, mo ...
and international development secretary Rory Stewart all resigned from the May government, just hours before Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. This was done in protest against Johnson's position on withdrawing from the European Union, and in anticipation of their dismissal from office during the formation of a new cabinet. DUP leader Arlene Foster
Arlene Isobel Foster, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (née Kelly; born 17 July 1970), is a British broadcaster and politician from Northern Ireland who served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2016 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2021 and ...
welcomed Johnson's election, reaffirming the continuity of the Conservative–DUP agreement
The Conservative–DUP agreement between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) followed the 2017 United Kingdom general election which resulted in a hung parliament. Negotiations between the two parties began on 9 June, th ...
.
Johnson's election was criticised by leaders of opposition parties, including Labour's Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
, who restated his call for a new general election, the Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
's Commons leader Ian Blackford and the Liberal Democrats' Jo Swinson. Devolved administrations expressed a similar tone; Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...
questioned his "lack of principle", and pledged to work with other parties to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal. Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford
Mark Drakeford (born 19 September 1954) is a Welsh politician serving as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2018. He previously served in the Welsh Government as Cabinet Secretary for Finance from 2016 to 2018 and Minist ...
urged "seriousness" and "maturity", and also called for a further referendum if Johnson was unable to pass a deal that commanded the support of the House of Commons.
Johnson's election also caused concern in financial markets, with Moody's and Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
both warning that the election of Boris Johnson would increase the likelihood of the exit of Britain from the European Union without a deal. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn
Dame Carolyn Julie Fairbairn DBE (born 13 December 1960) is a British businesswoman, former director-general of the Confederation of British Industry and a former non-executive director of the Competition and Markets Authority, Lloyds Banking G ...
, the Director-General of the CBI reacted to the result by urging the new Prime Minister to secure a deal, to "unlock new investment and confidence in factories and boardrooms across the country."
See also
* 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom
The 2019 European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2019 European Parliament election, held on Thursday 23 May 2019 and the results were announced on Sunday 26 and Monday 27 May 2019, after all the other EU countri ...
* 2019 United Kingdom general election
The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 12 December 2019. It resulted in the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party receiving a Landslide victory, landslide majority of 80 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 4 ...
* 2019 Liberal Democrats leadership election
The 2019 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held following the announcement of the resignation of Vince Cable as leader on 24 May 2019, after just under two years as leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. The two candidat ...
* February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election
The February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fourth internal party election to elect the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives, part of the British Conservative Party and the second-largest political party in the ...
* August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election
References
External links
;Official websites:
Michael Gove
Jeremy Hunt for Leader
Sajid Javid
Boris Johnson for Leader
{{Conservative Party (UK)
Theresa May
Boris Johnson
Jeremy Hunt
Conservative Party leadership election
Consequences of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
Conservative Party leadership election
Conservative Party leadership election
Conservative Party leadership election