Nominations open for the next Tory leader - but how does the process work?

Nominations to be the next leader of the Conservative Party opened on Wednesday evening, firing the starting gun for a three-month leadership contest to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

After Rishi Sunak oversaw a historic defeat for the Tories in the election earlier this month, there are now a number of candidates vying to replace him.

Former Home Secretary James Cleverly became the first to officially enter the race on Tuesday night.

Shadow security secretary Tom Tugendhat entered the race on Wednesday.

While Robert Jenrick threw his hat into the ring on Thursday with Mel Stride, becoming the fourth MP to announce they are joining the race on Friday.

The Tory MPs in charge of the process decided they wanted a long contest, so we won't know who the next leader is until November 2.

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Who decides the process?

The rules about the leadership process are decided by the 1922 Committee, who are a group of backbench Conservative MPs.

Chairman of the 1922 Committee Bob Blackman urged those involved in the process to be "respectful", after a period of significant division within the party.

Blackman said the decision to have a longer timetable to choose the leaders would help candidates to "engage in proper debates and not personal attacks."

How are the candidates whittled down?

Nominations opened at 7pm on Wednesday July 24, closing at 2.30pm on Monday July 29.

Contenders must get nominations from at least ten Tory MPs by the deadline, and then up to 11 can make it through to the next round.

They then have a month to campaign, before a number of rounds of voting by Conservative MPs in early September narrows it down further to four candidates.

During the Conservative Party Conference in early October, Tory MPs vote to choose the two finalists.

After that, party members vote in an online ballot which closes on October 31, before the winner is finally crowned on November 2.

To be eligible to vote, members must have held party membership for 90 days or more before the ballot closes, and have been an active member at the time of the nominations for candidates opening.

Who are the contenders?

Along with Cleverly and Tugendhat, former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, and ex-Home Secretaries Priti Patel and Suella Braverman are expected to announce bids.

You can read more about all the potential candidates here.

Could it be overshadowed by the US election?

The announcement of the new Tory leader falls just three days before the US election on November 5. As a new leader is crowned, the agenda in the following days is likely to be dominated by events across the Atlantic.

A number of senior Conservative figures have come out in support of Donald Trump, including Braverman, and former PMs Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.

Braverman said on LBC that if she were a US citizen she would vote for Donald Trump, claiming “the world will be safer” if the Republican presidential hopeful wins the November election.

Whether Trump wins or loses the US election, whoever becomes the next Conservative leader will inevitably face questions about him in the days that follow.

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