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Either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will become the UK’s next prime minister, after reaching the final stage of the Conservative party leadership contest.
A vote among the party’s membership will decide the winner, who will be announced on 5 September.
What happens now?
Mr Sunak and Ms Truss will take part in about 12 hustings events around the country – where they will be questioned about their policies.
The events will be open to Conservative Party members and streamed on the party’s website. Journalists will be able to attend – but won’t be allowed to ask questions.
Two televised debate have been confirmed:
- BBC One will host Our Next Prime Minister, at 21:00 BST on 25 July
- Sky News will host a debate at 20:00 BST on on 8 August
Who will pick the next Tory leader and prime minister?
Conservative Party members will pick the winner of the Tory leadership contest in a vote.
The person they select will automatically become prime minister.
To be able to vote, members must have joined the party on or before 3 June.
Eligible members are expected to receive their ballot papers during the first week of August. If they prefer, they can vote online instead.
If a member votes twice – for example, by post and then online – only the last vote received will count.
It’s not clear how many members there are – political parties don’t have to give precise numbers.
However, about 160,000 people were eligible to vote during the last Tory leadership election. The party says that number has since grown.
When will we know who will be the new PM?
The ballot of party members closes at 17:00 BST on 2 September.
The winner will be revealed on 5 September by Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs.
We could know the new prime minister sooner if one of the candidates drops out and is not replaced. In this case there would be no vote among party members.
This happened in 2016 when Dame Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the race, leaving Theresa May as the only candidate.
How were the final two candidates selected?
The Conservative Party’s 357 eligible MPs held a series of votes over the past week. The candidate polling the lowest number was eliminated in each round, until only two remained:
- Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak
- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
The six candidates knocked out were:
- Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (fifth ballot)
- Former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch (fourth ballot)
- Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat (third ballot)
- Attorney General Suella Braverman (second ballot)
- Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi (first ballot)
- Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (first ballot)
Will there be a general election?
When a prime minister resigns, there isn’t automatically a general election.
The latest an election can be held is January 2025, but the new prime minister could choose to call an election before then.
Watch: The 1922 Committee explained in 90 seconds
Is Boris Johnson still PM?
Yes. Despite standing down as leader of the Conservative Party, Mr Johnson is still the prime minister.
Constitutionally, there needs to be a prime minister at all times. So Mr Johnson remains in post until his successor takes over.
Once Mr Johnson has officially resigned, the newly-elected leader will be invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen who – on the advice of the ruling party – appoints a new prime minister.
What powers does Boris Johnson still have?
Until he goes to the Queen and formally resigns, in theory Mr Johnson keeps all his powers.
However, in reality, he lacks the authority to introduce substantial new policies, and has promised his cabinet that he will not make any “major changes of direction”.
He will still represent the UK abroad, and can continue to make public appointments or changes to his team of ministers.
One of his final acts in office is likely to be awarding knighthoods and appointments to the House of Lords in his resignation honours list.
