The Economist explains

Who will lead Britain’s Conservative Party?

Here are the four candidates vying for the daunting job

A Conservative Party rosette is seen on a jacket as ballots are tallied at a counting centre for Britain's general election in Chesterfield, Britain.
Photograph: Reuters

FOR YEARS the task of leading Britain’s Conservative Party has been well-nigh impossible. So ungovernable did the party become during its time in power from 2010 to 2024 that it burned through five leaders (and prime ministers) in eight years. After the drubbing in the general election in July, it is time to replace the unpopular current leader, Rishi Sunak. So overwhelming was the party’s defeat to Labour that just 121 Conservative MPs sit in the new Parliament—the party’s lowest number ever. Though the Conservatives are the official opposition, their chief battle is against irrelevance.

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