UK leader hopefuls battle for support as nominations close

BBC News:-

Contenders to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were racing Tuesday to clear their first hurdle: amassing enough support from colleagues to make the Conservative Party leadership ballot.

Nominations officially opened Tuesday morning and will close at 6 p.m. (1700GMT). Candidates need support from at least 20 Conservative lawmakers to be on the ballot for run-off votes, which will start Wednesday.

So far only three of the 11 declared candidates have met the threshold: former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt and backbench lawmaker Tom Tugendhat. Several others are likely also to reach the mark, including Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Treasury chief Nadhim Zahawi and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The candidates are jostling to replace Johnson, who quit as Conservative leader last week amid a party revolt triggered by months of ethics scandals. He will remain in office as a caretaker prime minister until his replacement as party chief is chosen. The winner of that contest will automatically become prime minister, without the need for a national election.

The new leader will be chosen in a two-stage election, in which the 358 Conservative lawmakers reduce the race to two candidates through a series of elimination votes. The final pair will be put to a ballot of party members across the country.