Boris Johnson will resign as Prime Minister after facing an avalanche of ministerial resignations over the past two days.
Less than a month after surviving a leadership challenge, the prime minister’s term will come to an end after senior ministers were among those who quit the government in protest at Downing Street’s handling of a series of recent scandals.
But now that the Prime Minister is set to leave Downing Street, how will the leadership election to replace him work?
Politics Hub: Reaction to Boris Johnson’s departure – live updates
Despite insisting at PMQs that he would not be leaving No 10 amid a growing rebellion against his leadership, Mr Johnson is standing down and a leadership contest will be held to decide his replacement.
The 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs will set the timetable for the race.
To be in the running, a Tory MP must be nominated by eight of their peers.
If more than two MPs come forward and secure enough nominations to run for leader, a series of secret ballots will be held to remove them.
The person receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated after each round until two candidates remain.
When only two deputies remain in the race, party members must make their final choice before the deadline set by the 1922 Committee.
The winner will become leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.
Image: Conservative leadership contenders: LR Penny Mordaunt, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat
Who are the favorites for the next prime minister?
Assuming the new leader is able to win the confidence of the House of Commons, they will not be required to call a general election.
However, a new leader may choose to call an election if he wants to secure a mandate.
Because the process could take several weeks and the Conservative Party still has a majority in government, the cabinet could nominate an interim prime minister before the party holds a proper leadership contest to choose a permanent successor to Mr Johnson.
Current deputy prime minister Dominic Raab or new chancellor Nadhim Zahawi may be among those in the frame.
Mr Johnson may also remain in office until a new Conservative Party leader is elected.
Add Comment