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The October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered by Liz Truss's announcement that she would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, amid an economic and political crisis. [1] [2]
In the July-September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Truss was elected to succeed Boris Johnson, who had resigned in an earlier government crisis following a string of controversies that characterised Johnson's premiership and severely damaged his personal reputation. Truss was appointed prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II two days before the monarch's death; her government's business was subsequently suspended during a national mourning period of 10 days. To tackle the cost of living and energy supply crises, Truss's government announced the Energy Price Guarantee to limit energy prices for households, businesses and public-sector organisations. Her government then announced large-scale borrowing and tax cuts in a mini-budget, which was widely criticised and largely reversed, having led to financial instability. Facing mounting criticism and loss of confidence in her leadership, Truss announced that she would resign as leader of the Conservative Party, and also announced that she would remain as prime minister until a successor was elected.
Following a change of rules by the 1922 Committee, each potential leader needed the support of at least 100 MPs to be a candidate in the vote, with a deadline of 2 pm on 24 October to secure enough nominations. [3] Two candidates put their names forward: Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, and Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer. Johnson was expected to enter the contest; it was stated he had exceeded the required number of MP backers but nevertheless decided not to stand. On 24 October, Mordaunt withdrew from the contest less than two minutes before the deadline for nominations, [4] leaving Sunak the only candidate in the contest and enabling him to become party leader without a ballot of MPs or party members. [5] He assumed the premiership on 25 October. In his victory speech, Sunak promised to place economic stability and confidence at the heart of his government's agenda.
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Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Chancellor of the Exchequer Party leadership campaigns | ||
After Theresa May resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2019, [6] Boris Johnson, who had served as mayor of London and as foreign secretary, won the leadership election and became prime minister. With insufficient parliamentary support for his Brexit plans, Johnson called the 2019 general election, in which he won a landslide victory. [7] [8]
Less than two months after the 2019 general election, cases of COVID-19 had reached the UK, and the government introduced measures to reduce its spread, including several legally-enforced lockdowns. The media later reported that there had been social gatherings by the Conservative Party and government staff that contravened these restrictions. [9] Johnson was personally implicated, and he, his wife Carrie Johnson, and the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, were given fixed penalty notices by the police in April 2022. [10] Several Conservative MPs called for Johnson to resign, and one, Christian Wakeford, defected to the Labour Party. [11]
In late June 2022, the Conservative MP Chris Pincher resigned as deputy chief government whip after allegations that he had groped two men. [12] Johnson initially refused to suspend the whip from him, and his spokesperson defended Pincher's appointment, saying Johnson had not been aware of "specific allegations" against him. [13] More allegations of groping were made against Pincher. On 4 July, Johnson's spokesperson said that Johnson was aware of allegations that were "either resolved or did not proceed to a formal complaint" at the time he appointed him. [14] Several ministers resigned on 5 July, including the chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak and the health secretary Sajid Javid. [15] Several politicians who had been discussed as potential leadership candidates, including Liz Truss, expressed their continuing support for Johnson. [16] Johnson announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister of the United Kingdom in July 2022, causing the July–September 2022 leadership election.
Eleven candidates put themselves forward for the July leadership election, with eight receiving sufficient nominations from Conservative MPs: Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, and Nadhim Zahawi. [17] After five rounds of voting over nine days, MPs selected Sunak and Truss to be put forward as candidates for party members to vote on. [18] On 5 September, after a seven-week campaign period, Truss was announced as the new leader of the party after receiving 57.4% of the members' vote and was duly appointed as prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II on 6 September 2022 during an audience held at Balmoral Castle. [19] Later that day, Truss announced the composition of the new Cabinet with Kwasi Kwarteng appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
On 23 September, Kwarteng delivered a Ministerial Statement entitled "The Growth Plan" to the House of Commons. Widely referred to in the media as the mini-budget, it proposed tax cuts and increased spending, and was followed by a sharp fall in the value of the pound against the United States dollar. Amidst widespread criticism, Truss and Kwarteng defended the budget for more than a week before beginning to announce reversals of the most controversial measures: the abolition of the 45% income tax rate for the highest earners, and cancellation of a planned freeze in corporation tax. Truss sacked Kwarteng and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt on 14 October. [20]
On 19 October, Suella Braverman resigned as home secretary citing a breach of the Ministerial Code and "concerns about the direction of this government". Later that evening, there were allegations of bullying, physical intimidation, and voting pressure over a Labour-introduced motion in the House of Commons on the issue of fracking, and confusion about whether Conservative MPs were to treat this vote as a matter of confidence in the government. [21] [22] [23]
On 20 October, Truss announced her resignation as leader of the party and prime minister, after meeting with Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee. [24]
On 20 October, Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who came second in the September leadership election, Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons who came third, and Boris Johnson, who was the leader and prime minister before Truss, were seen as the most likely candidates. [25]
On 20 October, the online bookmaker Betfair listed Sunak as the favourite to become the new Conservative Party leader with odds of 11/10, with Mordaunt second at 7/2, Wallace third at 8/1, Hunt fourth at 9/1 and Johnson fifth at 13/1. [26]
While many MPs supported Johnson, others said they would not serve under him if he were elected. [27] Mordaunt was reported to be taking soundings as to whether she should run on the evening of 20 October and morning of 21 October. [28] On the afternoon of 21 October she became the first candidate to announce her intention to run. [29] [25] By the morning of 22 October, Sunak's supporters said he had passed the nomination threshold of 100 MPs, although he had yet to formally launch his campaign. [30] [31] Johnson flew back from a holiday in the Dominican Republic on the morning of Saturday 22 October, [32] [33] and by that afternoon, Johnson supporters said that he had sufficient nominations too. [28] [34] Reports of Johnson reaching the nomination threshold, which were later confirmed as being true by Sir Graham Brady, [35] were met with scepticism by some Sunak supporters, [28] [36] who challenged the Johnson camp to release the names of his supporters. [37] [38] On the evening of 22 October, Sunak and Johnson met, although what they discussed was not disclosed. [39] [40]
On the afternoon of 23 October, Sunak declared he would stand in the contest. [41] [42] On the afternoon of the same day, Johnson spoke to Penny Mordaunt, with press speculation being that she had rejected an offer asking her to drop out of the leadership contest and back him. [43] [44] Later that day, Johnson said he would not be standing. [45]
On the afternoon on 24 October, Mordaunt pulled out of the race after being unable to get the nominations of 100 MPs by the deadline. [46] [47] As a result of Mordaunt's withdrawal, Sunak won the leadership contest unopposed, and became the leader of the Conservative Party. [48] [49] It was the first time a candidate won a leadership election for one of the two main parties unopposed since Gordon Brown won the Labour Party leadership election to succeed Tony Blair in 2007.
In her resignation statement on 20 October, Truss stated that the election would be completed "within the next week". [50] [51] Graham Brady set out an expedited process. Candidates were required to obtain nominations from at least 100 MPs before the nomination deadline at 2 pm on 24 October. With 357 Conservative MPs at the time of election, this meant there could have only been, at most, three candidates. [52]
Had three candidates reached the nomination threshold, a ballot of Conservative MPs would have been held to eliminate one that afternoon. [53] An indicative vote by Conservative MPs between the final two would have then been held. Subsequently, there would have been an online ballot of Conservative Party members to choose between the two remaining candidates. This would have opened on Tuesday 25 October and closed at 11 am on Friday 28 October. [54] If two candidates had reached the nomination threshold, there would have been an indicative vote by MPs, then an online members' vote, with the same schedule.
As only Rishi Sunak received the nominations required by Monday 24 October, he automatically became party leader.
The timetable was much shorter than the previous leadership election, with a higher bar for nominations. These changes, and the addition of an indicative vote by MPs between two final candidates, were introduced to narrow the field more quickly and reduce the likelihood that a ballot of party members would be required. [55]
Candidate | Political office and constituency | Date declared | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Rishi Sunak | Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020–2022) MP for Richmond (Yorks) (2015–present) | 23 October 2022 | [41] [49] [48] |
Penny Mordaunt declared her intention to stand for leadership but subsequently withdrew from the race.
Candidate | Political office and constituency | Date declared | Date withdrew | Ref. |
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Penny Mordaunt | Leader of the House of Commons (2022–present) MP for Portsmouth North (2010–present) | 21 October 2022 | 24 October 2022 | [29] [47] |
Boris Johnson initially explored a possible candidacy for the leadership but subsequently declined to stand.
Candidate | Political office and constituency | Date declined | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Boris Johnson | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2019–2022) MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (2015–2023) | 23 October 2022 | [56] [57] |
The following Conservative Party politicians were suggested by commentators as potential candidates for the leadership but declined to stand:
MP public endorsements | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Endorsements | % | |
Rishi Sunak | 197 | 55.1 | |
Boris Johnson | 62 | 17.3 | |
Penny Mordaunt | 27 | 7.5 | |
No endorsement | 71 | 19.8 |
Note: Some endorsements are repeated due to MPs changing support after withdrawal.
While Sunak polled better than Truss, opinion polling continued to show the Conservatives losing to Labour shortly after Sunak became leader. [77] [78]
Following Sunak's cabinet reshuffle, a Downing Street source said "it reflects a unified party and a cabinet with significant experience". [79] Many Conservative members were critical of the election, due to the lack of a members' vote and the unopposed candidate, characterising it as anti-democratic. [80] [ neutrality is disputed ] Certain Tory MPs were unconvinced by the election, and stated that factionalism within the party was unlikely to disappear. Particularly, many Boris Johnson supporters felt cheated as they had voiced their vocal opposition to Sunak. [81]
The election has been characterised as undemocratic in an opinion piece by a Liverpool Echo journalist, [82] by those on the left according to Time, [83] by Tortoise Media who plan to mount a legal challenge, [84] and by opposition parties (including the Scottish National Party) as they call for a general election. [85] The Labour Party (and specifically Keir Starmer) has called for an early general election. [86] [87] Immediately following the election a poll conducted by Ipsos found that 62% of respondents wanted a general election. [88]
Dates conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | Kemi Badenoch | Suella Braverman | Michael Gove | Jeremy Hunt | Boris Johnson | Penny Mordaunt | Grant Shapps | Rishi Sunak | Tom Tugendhat | Ben Wallace | Nadhim Zahawi | Others | Don't know |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 Oct | Liz Truss announces her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and as Prime Minister | |||||||||||||||
17–18 Oct 2022 | YouGov | N/A | 530 Conservative members | 8% | 3% | 1% | 7% | 32% | 9% | 0% | 23% | 1% | 10% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
Date(s) conducted | Pollster/client | Sample size | Should resign | Should not resign | Neither | Don't know | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17–18 Oct 2022 | YouGov | 530 Conservative members | 55% | 38% | — | 7% | −17% |
218 Truss supporters | 39% | 57% | — | 4% | +18% | ||
173 Sunak supporters | 72% | 17% | — | 11% | −55% |
Dates conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | Kemi Badenoch | Suella Braverman | Jeremy Hunt | Boris Johnson | Penny Mordaunt | Rishi Sunak | Ben Wallace | Others | Don't know |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19–21 Oct 2022 | Opinium | N/A | 1,549 | — | — | 10% | — | 19% | 45% | 11% | — | 14% |
20 October 2022 | PeoplePolling [89] | GB News | 367 | 3% | 2% | 2% | 38% | 4% | 20% | 2% | 7% Others | 21% |
20 October 2022 | Savanta ComRes [90] | N/A | 1,094 | — | 2% | — | 41% | 8% | 25% | 4% | 4% Others Michael Gove 3% | 15% |
Dates conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | Boris Johnson | Penny Mordaunt | Rishi Sunak | Others | Don't know |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 October 2022 | Boris Johnson publicly declines to stand in the election | |||||||
23 October 2022 | Opinium | N/A | 1,005 British voters | 27% | — | 45% | — | 27% |
20–21 Oct 2022 | Redfield & Wilton | N/A | 2,000 British voters | 36% | — | 37% | — | 27% |
20–21 Oct 2022 | Opinium | N/A | 1,350 British voters | 33% | 36% | — | — | 31% |
31% | — | 44% | — | 25% | ||||
— | 23% | 45% | — | 32% |
Dates conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | Kemi Badenoch | Suella Braverman | Jeremy Hunt | Boris Johnson | Penny Mordaunt | Rishi Sunak | Ben Wallace | Others | Don't know |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19–21 Oct 2022 | Opinium | N/A | 1,350 British voters | — | — | 12% | — | 14% | 38% | 10% | — | 25% |
20 October 2022 | Savanta ComRes [90] | N/A | 1,094 British voters | — | 2% | — | 21% | 8% | 26% | 6% | 8% Others Michael Gove 3% | 30% |
20 October 2022 | PeoplePolling [89] | GB News | 1,237 British voters | 2% | 1% | 2% | 16% | 5% | 19% | 2% | 11% Others | 41% |
20 Oct | Liz Truss announces her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party and as Prime Minister | |||||||||||
18–19 Oct 2022 | Opinium | ITV's Peston | TBA | — | 2% | 7% | 17% | 8% | 25% | 7% | — | 31% |
14–16 Oct 2022 | Portland Communications [ failed verification ] | N/A | 1,511 British voters | — | — | 5% | 16% | 5% | 21% | 3% | — | 50% |
Penelope Mary Mordaunt is a British politician who has served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth North since the 2010 general election. She has run twice for the Conservative party leadership in July–September and October 2022, losing to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak respectively.
Peter James Guy Aldous is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Waveney constituency in Suffolk since the 2010 general election.
Mary Elizabeth Truss is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down amid a government crisis, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. The member of Parliament (MP) for South West Norfolk since 2010, Truss previously held various Cabinet positions under three prime ministers—David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson—lastly as foreign secretary from 2021 to 2022.
Melvyn John Stride is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since October 2022. He previously served in the May Government as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General from 2017 to 2019 and as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from May to July 2019. He also served as Chair of the Treasury Select Committee from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Devon since 2010.
Gareth Alan Johnson is a British politician and former lawyer who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Courts from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously served as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from February to September 2022 and Assistant Government Whip from 2018 to 2019 and 2021 to 2022. Johnson was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dartford, winning the seat from Labour. He has been supportive of Leave Means Leave, a Eurosceptic pressure group.
Rishi Sunak is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2022. The first British Asian prime minister, he previously held two cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015.
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since July 2023, having previously served in the position from February to April 2023 before being temporarily replaced during her maternity leave. A member of the Conservative Party, Donelan also held three other cabinet positions from 2020 to 2023 under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Chippenham in Wiltshire since 2015.
Wendy Morton is a British politician who served as Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aldridge-Brownhills in the West Midlands since 2015.
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Indo-Pacific under Rishi Sunak since October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Berwick-upon-Tweed since 2015. She previously served in the Cabinets of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Sir Simon Richard Clarke is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, he briefly served as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from September to October 2022 and Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022.
Jonathan Edward Gullis is a British politician and former teacher who has served as a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party since 26 March 2024 and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North since the 2019 general election. He was previously appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards by Liz Truss in September 2022 but was dismissed shortly after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister in October 2022. In March 2024, Gullis was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, replacing Luke Hall who had been appointed Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education.
A list of events relating to politics and government in the United Kingdom during 2022.
The July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered by Boris Johnson's announcement on 7 July 2022 that he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, following a series of political controversies.
This is a list of public endorsements for declared candidates for the July–September 2022 leadership election for the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom.
The Truss ministry began on 6 September 2022 when Liz Truss was invited by Queen Elizabeth II—two days before the monarch's death—to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party the previous day after Truss was elected as his successor. The Truss ministry was formed from the 2019 Parliament of the United Kingdom, as a Conservative majority government.
Liz Truss's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 6 September 2022 when she accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, succeeding Boris Johnson, and ended 50 days later on 25 October upon her resignation. As prime minister, Truss served simultaneously as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union.
In September and October 2022, the Conservative Party government led by newly appointed prime minister Liz Truss faced a credibility crisis. It was caused by the September 2022 mini-budget and a disorganised vote in the House of Commons over a parliamentary vote to ban fracking, ultimately resulting in the loss of support of Conservative members of parliament (MPs).
This is a list of public endorsements for declared candidates for the October 2022 leadership election for the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom.
This is a summary of the electoral history of Rishi Sunak, the Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since October 2022. Sunak previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022, and has been the MP for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015.
Rishi Sunak's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 25 October 2022 when he accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government, succeeding Liz Truss. He is the first British Indian to hold the office of prime minister. As prime minister, Sunak is also serving as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union.
Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister after 45 days in office marked by turmoil, triggering the second Tory leadership election in four months.
Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister and will step down after a week-long emergency contest to find her successor, she has announced outside Downing Street.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)According to a modelling sample of 12,000 people by YouGov, Starmer would win 389 constituencies, and Sunak just 127 constituencies. In 116 constituencies voters would not be sure of who to choose between the two.
That the Tories can foist upon us a third prime minister in just three years without an election, in the midst of a cost of living and economic crisis of their making, speaks to how unfair and undemocratic this Westminster system is.