Tory leadership: Boris Johnson could be replaced by mid September, minister says
Boris Johnson could be out of Downing Street with a new prime minister in place by the middle of September, a minister has said.
Johnson resigned last week, saying he would remain in place until a new Conservative Party leader had been elected.
A leadership contest has now been launched, meaning it will come down to the Tory party to decide who will next take up residence in No.10.
George Eustice said Johnson was “right” to continue in a caretaker capacity, in the face of calls for him to leave sooner.
The Environment Secretary added: “That’s what Theresa May did. That’s what David Cameron did. It’s what Tony Blair did. It’s what happens in these situations."
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This week will see Tory MPs whittle down the candidates to a final two through a balloting process, with party members then voting on which of the two candidates they would prefer.
There will then be a series of hustings and events around the country as the Conservative Party members decide who they want to choose.
Eustice told Sky News: "We'll be down to probably just two candidates by the end of next week.
"And those two candidates will go out on a series of hustings around the country during August, possibly early September as well.
"I would imagine at some time in the middle of September, perhaps we'll have a new leader in place. "
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The 1922 Committee, a powerful backbench committee chaired by Sir Graham Brady, has the ultimate responsibility for setting the rules in any Conservative Party leadership contest.
In his resignation speech outside Downing Street, Johnson said that he had agreed with Sir Graham “that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week”.
That timetable, agreed by the 1922 Committee and Tory Party HQ, will likely see a new Tory leader in place before the party conference in October.
It is difficult to know at this stage how long the contest will last, with the exact timetable to be revealed next week, but the process to replace Theresa May in 2019 took about 40 days.
Some Tory MPs have expressed an eagerness to accelerate the process to have a new leader in place as soon as possible.
Liz Truss became the latest contender to throw her hat into the ring, insisting she can be "trusted to deliver".
The newly appointed Foreign Office minister Rehman Chishti announced his candidacy on Sunday, meaning there are now 11 Tories in the running for the top job.
Other contenders include former health secretaries Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt, ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak, his successor Nadhim Zahawi, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and trade minister Penny Mordaunt.
Former minister Kemi Badenoch and senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat have also announced the are vying to become prime minister.
