Wednesday 12 September 2018

Next Conservative Leader Runners And Riders

How a secret meeting can be called secret when we all knew about it is beyond me but around 50 MP's met up 'in secret' to discuss just how and when to boot the Prime Minister out of office as the Conservatives tear themselves apart over Brexit.
To force through a vote of no confidence and spark a leadership battle a minimum of 48 letters need to be submitted to the 1922 Committee to trigger a vote and i would assume the required number of letters have been written and now it is just a matter of when they hand them in.
Theresa May has vowed to fight any Tory leadership election but looking at who is set to line up against her, she shouldn't be too worried.
Boris Johnson is the favourite and is equally loved and loathed within his party and his recent split from his wife after yet another extra marital affair has not done him any favours.
Sajid Javid is second favourite but was a firm remainer and to the Brexiters, electing him would be swapping like for like so unlikely to appeal to those pushing the knife into the second female Prime Minister.
Then there is Jacob Rees-Mogg, the man nicknamed as the Minister for the 18th Century as him and his views are so old fashioned which has made him a bit of a cartoon character in many eyes.
The environment secretary, Michael Gove, is fourth favourite and has made no secret of being after the top job and ran against her previously after David Cameron stepped down and famously stabbed Boris Johnson in the back while doing so which didn't enamour him to his party members.
Fifth favourite is Jeremy Hunt but is a recent addition to the hard-Brexit side, previously being a die hard Remainer and was one of the least loved Health Secretaries in history overseeing the running down of the NHS so may be popular with Conservative members but is too disliked in the country to win an election. 
The bookies offer long odds on another female Prime Minister in the shape of Penny Mordaunt and Andrea Leadsom but realistically the next Prime Minister will come from the top five men which looking at the list, is not a great proposition but should make winning the next election easier for the Labour Party.

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