Tory bosses agree rule change which could lead to cull of leadership candidates
3 min read
Tory bosses have agreed to change the rules for the upcoming leadership election in a move which could lead to a major cull of candidates.
Hopefuls will now need the backing of at least eight MPs to take part in the race, compared to just two at present.
As things currently stand, that could see Esther McVey, Mark Harper, Rory Stewart, Andrea Leadsom and Sam Gyimah forced to pull out.
Eleven MPs are currently vying to succeed Theresa May - down from 13 after James Cleverly and Kit Malthouse withdrew on Tuesday.
A series of votes by MPs will take place to whittle that figure down to the final two candidates to go through to a ballot of party members.
Under the new rules agreed by the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, candidates will need a proposer, a seconder and another six colleagues to get onto the ballot paper for the first stage of voting.
They will then need to win at least 5% of the votes in the first ballot (17 MPs) and at least 10% in the second ballot (33 MPs).
It means the final two candidates should be known by the end of next week, and the new Prime Minister will be in place by the end of July.
One 1922 source told PoliticsHome: "It’s to ensure that people who want to contest the leadership can display that they have got wider support than just themselves plus two mates."
They said the hope was to "speed up the process without being unduly harsh on those who have got some support but more ambition than support".
The proposals are expected to be signed off by the Conservative party board on Tuesday evening.
On Monday, Cabinet minister James Brokenshire called on Tory leadership rivals who have no hope of winning to pull out of the race.
He said in a speech at the Policy Exchange think tank: “We simply do not have the luxury of weeks of navel gazing or days and days of whittling candidates down to the final two and talking to ourselves.
“So I say gently to some of my colleagues who have put themselves forward for what has been described as the Grand National of Political Contests. Please think carefully.
“If you already know it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to get over the first fence, let alone Becher's Brook ahead, then maybe you should pull up. There is no embarrassment in that.”
Tory deputy chair Mr Cleverly admitted he was “highly unlikely” to win as he dropped out of the contest.
And Kit Malthouse said: "The last few days have demonstrated that there is an appetite for this contest to be over quickly and for the nation to have a new leader in place as soon as possible.
"As such, it seems right to me that I withdraw my candidature and wish those remaining the very best."
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