Britain's new prime minister will be announced on September 5, with the first votes to begin eliminating candidates in a crowded and increasingly unpredictable and divisive contest to replace Boris Johnson coming this week.
Former defence minister Penny Mordaunt is most popular with members of the Conservative Party according to a pollSo far, 11 candidates have thrown their hat in the ring to succeed Mr Johnson — as leader of the ruling Conservative Party and prime minister — after he quit following a dramatic rebellion by his own ministers and MPs after a series of scandals.
Anyone who then received less than 30 votes would be eliminated before another vote followed on Thursday. "I am very keen we get this concluded as smoothly, cleanly and rapidly as possible," the committee's chair, Graham Brady, said.The field will be whittled down to a final two candidates before a postal ballot of the Conservative Party's members — who number fewer than 200,000 — takes place over the summer.
Former finance minister Sajid Javid, one of the candidates, criticised what he called "poisonous gossip".
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