In Britain’s parliamentary system, the leader of the majority party automatically becomes the incharge, a political system that ursherd in Conservative Party’s Boris Johnson.
Boris Johnson’s tenure was engulfed in numerous scandals including his involvement in a party with over 30 people amidst stringent restrictions on gatherings in the wake of COVID-19, the departure of Chris Pincher, a deputy chief whip, who was responsible for keeping Conservative lawmakers in line. Mr. Johnson had placed him in the job despite accusations of inappropriate behavior.
Ministers and other officials denied in an attempt to exonerate Mr. Johnson from being aware of those accusations, only for successive accounts to rapidly unravel.
On the evening of July 5, BBC reported that Mr. Sunak had resigned, alongside another top minister, Sajid Javid, the health secretary. A flood of further resignations followed, with more than 50 members of Parliament quitting cabinet roles or other official positions by July 7, including some appointed to replace those who had already resigned.
Later that day, Mr. Johnson announced that he would resign, acknowledging in a speech that it was clearly “the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party” that he steps aside.
According to Britain’s political Demographics, it is hard to get rid of a prime minister, but far from impossible. The job goes to the leader of the political party with a parliamentary majority. The party can oust its leader and choose another one, changing prime ministers without a general election.
When Mr. Johnson resigned as leader of his party on July 7, he said he would remain as prime minister until the Conservatives had chosen a new leader. His two most recent predecessors, David Cameron and Theresa May, both took that approach when they resigned.
But the timetable for the leadership contest is not in his hands. It is set by backbench Conservative lawmakers through a body called the 1922 Committee.
Eleven lawmakers sought to run this time, with the final two — who ended up being Mr. Sunak and Ms. Truss who were revealed on Wednesday after five rounds of voting.
Party members will be able to question Mr. Sunak and Ms. Truss at a series of meetings around Britain over the summer, but the later sessions may matter less, voting, by post and online, opens in early August.
The result is then due on Sept. 5. That would give the new prime minister time to prepare for a major televised speech at the Conservative Party’s annual conference in October.
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