Boris Johnson was expected to resign as prime minister on Thursday, triggering a search for a new British leader.
Below is how a process to find Johnson's successor will work:
- Candidates putting themselves forward for the leadership - and there could be many - must be nominated by two other Conservative lawmakers.
- Conservative lawmakers then hold several rounds of votes to whittle down the field. Each time they are asked to vote for their favoured candidate in a secret ballot, and the person with the fewest votes is eliminated.
- This process is repeated until there are two candidates remaining. Votes previously have been held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- The final two candidates are then put to a postal ballot of the wider Conservative Party membership, with the winner named the new leader.
- The leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons is the de facto prime minister. He or she does not have to call a snap election, but has the power to do so.
How long will it take?
The duration of the leadership contest can vary, depending on how many people put themselves forward. Theresa May became leader less than three weeks after David Cameron resigned in 2016 and all other contenders dropped out mid-race.
Johnson faced former health minister Jeremy Hunt in the run-off ballot of Conservative members to replace May in 2019, and took office two months after May announced her intention to resign.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UK Political Crisis: Why The Country Has Seen 3 Prime Ministers In 3 Years "All Rubbish": Ex UK PM Boris Johnson On Allegations He "Let Covid Rip" Ex UK PM Boris Johnson "Deeply Sorry" For Covid Victims' Families Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Siddaramaiah's Swipe At Governor Amid Calls For Resignation: 10 Points Kolkata Rape-Murder: Fractures, 150 mg Semen, Other Claims Denied By Cops Watch: Russian Woman Travels In Mumbai Local Train, Chats With Passengers Germany To Cut Down Military Aid For Ukraine In 2025: Report Hundreds Evacuated Amid Raging Forest Fire In Turkey: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.