Timetable for a Tory leadership election if Theresa May loses in the no confidence vote
An immediate leadership contest would be triggered if Theresa May loses the no confidence vote which is decided on a straight majority. She would remain Prime Minister during the process.
The timetable and rules for the leadership contest would be decided by the 1922 executive committee and then approved by the Conservative party’s board.
Candidates for the leadership must be nominated by two Conservative MPs. If only one candidate comes forward, he or she becomes leader.
If there is a slate of candidates, Conservative MPs are balloted in a series of votes until two are left. Those two names would then be put to the entire membership of the party in a postal ballot.
In 2016 the parliamentary stage took 10 days, which would most likely mean the postal ballot would run through Christmas. The winner would be the candidate with a straight majority of votes.
There was no postal vote in 2016 after Andrea Leadsom withdrew after reaching the last two.
It has been previously suggested the entire process could take 12 weeks, but it is expected to be far quicker given the uncertainty over Brexit and the deadline date of March 29 next year for the UK to leave the EU.
