2024 Conservative Party leadership election
 | This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2024) |
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A Conservative Party leadership election is expected to occur in 2024 to determine the successor to Rishi Sunak following his declared intention to resign after the party's defeat at the recent general election.
Background
Following the landslide victory of the Labour Party in the 2024 general election, Rishi Sunak said he would resign as leader of the party after preparations are made to elect his successor.[1]
Candidates
In June 2024, during the campaign for the 2024 general election, The Guardian reported that leadership hopefuls were already lobbying for support from MP candidates for any upcoming leadership election.[2] The Times also reported that both Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch registered website domains for a leadership campaign; as Mordaunt lost her seat in the general election her prospective campaign is moot barring either a change in the party's constitution or re-entering the House of Commons through a by-election; both are considered unlikely.[3] The Conservative Party constitution states that the leader of the party must be a Member of Parliament.[4]
Rules for the election will be set by the 1922 Committee; all previous leadership elections have involved a series of votes by Conservative MPs, and some have included a runoff between the top two candidates voted on by party members.
Likely candidates
The following displays all the candidates who are sourced as likely to mount a leadership campaign.
| Candidate | Political office and constituency | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
.jpg) Victoria Atkins |
Health Secretary (2023–2024) MP for Louth and Horncastle (2015–present) |
[5] |
.jpg) Kemi Badenoch |
Business Secretary (2023–2024) Minister for Women and Equalities (2022–2024) International Trade Secretary (2022–2023) MP for North West Essex (2024–present), formerly Saffron Walden (2017–2024) |
[6] |
.jpg) Suella Braverman |
Home Secretary (2022, 2022–2023) Attorney General (2020–2022) MP for Fareham and Waterlooville (2024–present), formerly Fareham (2015–2024) |
[6] |
.jpg) Robert Jenrick |
Minister of State for Immigration (2022–2023) Housing and Communities Secretary (2019–2021) MP for Newark (2014–present) |
[6] |
.jpg) Tom Tugendhat |
Minister of State for Security (2022–2024) Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee (2017–2022) MP for Tonbridge (2024–present), formerly Tonbridge and Malling (2015–2024) |
[7] |
Other potential candidates who are sitting MPs
| Candidate | Political office and constituency | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
.jpg) James Cleverly |
Home Secretary (2023–2024) Foreign Secretary (2022–2023) Education Secretary (2022) Party Chair (2019–2020) MP for Braintree (2015–present) |
[8][5][4] |
.jpg) Priti Patel |
Home Secretary (2019–2022) International Development Secretary (2016–2017) MP for Witham (2010–present) |
[6] |
Potential candidates outside of the House of Commons
The Conservative Party's constitution states that the party's leader must be a Member of Parliament, that is a member of the House of Commons. These individuals would only be able to stand if they first won a seat through a by-election (and in the case of Lord Cameron, if they first resign their seat in the House of Lords and then win a by-election for a seat in the House of Commons).[4]
- The Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, former Conservative leader (2005–2016), former Prime Minister (2010–2016), former Foreign Secretary (2023–2024), former MP for Witney (2001–2016), life peer in the House of Lords (2023–present)[4]
- Boris Johnson, former prime minister and Conservative leader (2019–2022).[4]
Potential candidates prior to the election
The following figures were discussed as potential candidates in a leadership election, but lost their seats in the 2024 general election.
- Steve Baker, Minister of State for Northern Ireland (2022–2024), MP for Wycombe (2010–2024)[9]
- Penny Mordaunt, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (2022–2024), MP for Portsmouth North (2010–2024)[3]
- Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence (2023–2024), MP for Welwyn Hatfield (2005–2024)[10]
Declined
The following Conservative Party politicians were suggested by commentators as potential candidates for the leadership but declined to stand:
- Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer (2022–2024), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2018–2019), MP for Godalming and Ash (2024–present)[6][11]
Opinion polling
2019 Conservative voters
- Multi-candidate polling
| Dates conducted |
Pollster | Client | Sample size |
Penny Mordaunt |
Jeremy Hunt |
Suella Braverman |
Jacob Rees-Mogg |
Kemi Badenoch |
Grant Shapps |
Others | None | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13–20 June 2024 | Deltapoll | Helm Partners | 1,511 | 25% | 13% | 10% | 6% | 4% | 3% | — | 19% | 20% |
References
- ^ "'I am sorry' - Sunak's No 10 speech in full". BBC News. 5 July 2024.
- ^ Stacey, Kiran; Mason, Rowena (14 June 2024). "Tory leadership hopefuls 'already lobbying' to replace Sunak". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ a b Kendix, Max; Scott, Geraldine (30 June 2024). "Leadership campaign websites registered for senior Tories". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Rayner, Gordon (26 June 2024). "The runners and riders to replace Rishi Sunak". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Tory leadership hopefuls jostle to replace Rishi Sunak". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Riley-Smith, Ben (5 July 2024). "Tory leadership contenders split over Nigel Farage". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Riley-Smith, Ben (18 June 2024). "Tom Tugendhat expected to run for Tory leader after election". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ Allegretti, Aubrey; Dathan, Matt; Smyth, Chris (27 June 2024). "Who could replace Rishi Sunak? The potential Tory successors". The Times. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Unhappy NI minister Steve Baker will bid to replace Rishi Sunak as PM if election is a disaster for Tories". Belfast Telegraph. 27 June 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Courea, Eleni; Mason, Rowena (5 July 2024). "Tory leadership contenders prepare for quick contest amid Reform fears". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ Manancourt, Vincent (6 July 2024). "Jeremy Hunt rules himself out of Tory leadership race". Politico. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
