Explainer-in-brief: Behind the scenes of a Tory leadership race
The Conservative party elections take place when a leader resigns or loses a vote of no confidence. They work in two stages: in the first one, two main contenders are put forward; in the second one, party members vote and decide who’s going to be the new leader.
The rules – including how an MP gets nominated – are decided by the 1922 committee, the parliamentary group of Conservative backbenchers. They’re not publicly available; they’re announced right before the race starts.
Nominations for the contest are sent to the committee chair, and the specifics of the process can be changed depending on the number of contestants and on time pressures.
It’s often the case that it’s initially unclear who the two front-runners will be, so MPs get to vote in several ballots. In 2019, there were 10 candidates after Theresa May’s resignation, including Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Dominic Raab. Six rounds of balloting had to be held before Johnson’s victory against last contender Jeremy Hunt.