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New prime minister How will they be chosen and who could it be

22 Oct 202222 October 2022Last updated at 05:23commentsView Comments (159)To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.Watch Liz Truss step down as PMOn Thursday we saw UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resign, which means she'll be standing down from the job after just six weeks. This is the shortest time anyone has been prime minister for in the history of British politics. For weeks people had been focused on the mistakes they thought she had made, but now everyone's attention has turned to choosing a new leader. The new leader of the Conservative Party, which is the party which is in power in government, will automatically become the prime minister as well. So let's find out more about how this is likely to happen.

Find out more

What kids think about the prime minister standing down Liz Truss resigns as prime minister Your school day vs. yesterday as prime minister New PM: What do all the words mean?How will a new leader be chosen? Liz Truss will officially leave the job when her successor as Conservative Party leader is found. The party has been given a week to find a new leader, who will become the fifth Conservative prime minister in six years. MPs now have between now and 2pm on Monday 24 October to put their name forward, and will then need to get 100 other Conservative MPs to support them. This is more than they needed at the last contest, where Liz Truss was chosen as PM. Then only 20 nominations were needed. As there are currently 357 Tory MPs, this means a maximum of three candidates will be able to progress. If only one person gets the 100 nominations needed they will become the next leader, and as a result, the new prime minister. If there is more than one candidate, Conservative MPs will be asked to vote for who they want to become the next leader. This vote will be held between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on Monday.

Key dates

Monday 24 October - Deadline for Conservative MPs to put themselves forward - Vote held among MPs to decide on number one candidate. - If only one candidate by end of this process will know who new leader will be. Friday 28 October - If party members have to decide between more than one candidate, this is the date we will find out who the new leader will be. If there are three candidates, the one with the fewest number of votes will be eliminated by 6pm and then MPs will vote again to decide between the final two. This will happen straight after the first vote - taking place between 6.30pm and 8.30pm - so whatever happens, the MPs choice will be decided by 9pm on Monday. At this stage the person with the fewest votes could decide to drop out of the contest - this is what happened when Theresa May was being elected as leader. If this happens the remaining candidate automatically becomes the new leader, but if they stay in the contest there will have to be another vote by party members. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.Kids react to Prime Minister Liz Truss quitting Party members include members of the public who have joined the Conservative party, will then be asked to take part in an online vote to decide the winner. It is hoped the two candidates will take part in a television debate before then to help people get to understand them and their policies better. We will know who has won by Friday 28 October. The King will then ask that person to form a government, becoming the UK's next prime minister!Who could be in the running to be the next prime minister?Penny MordauntGetty ImagesPenny Mordaunt is currently the leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt has become the first MP to announce she will be running to be the next party leader and prime minister. Ms Mordaunt came third in the last leadership contest over the summer, just missing out on making it to the final two. In 2019 she became the UK's first female defence secretary, and is currently the leader of the House of Commons - an important job which means she has to try and keep MPs from all parties in check. She has strong support from her fellow MPs however some within the party don't think she is a good choice. They worry her views on trans rights will affect how popular she is and damage their chances of winning another general election. Rishi SunakGetty ImagesRishi Sunak lost to Liz Truss in the last leadership contest You might remember Rishi Sunak as the former chancellor, who worked closely alongside Boris Johnson. He was in charge of the UK's money during the coronavirus pandemic and made some decisions that were popular, including supporting businesses. He also launched the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme to get people spend their money again after lockdown in an attempt to help the UK economy. He ran against Liz Truss in the last leadership contest, coming second, but since then he seems to have gained popularity with many. His warning about how Liz Truss's policies would affect the economy proved to be true. As a result, some think he is a much safer pair of hands when it comes to the UK's money - something people care a lot about. But some within the Conservative Party aren't happy about how he left Boris Johnson's government, saying he let the then prime minster down. If he decides to run again he'll have to convince MPs loyal to Boris Johnson that he can be trusted. Boris Johnson Reuters He stood down as leader in July but some think he could try and stage a comeback. During the time Liz Truss was prime minister the Conservative Party became much more unpopular with the public - which made people worried that they could lose power completely when there is a general election. The general election is when all members of the public can vote for who they want to become their local member of parliament (MP), and the party that has the most MPs becomes the party in government. Mr Johnson could try and argue he can restore the public's confidence in the party again and having led his party to victory at the last election, can do so again. But although he was popular when he won the election, decisions he made including breaking rules during lockdown led to many to call for him to go. So will MPs, party members and the country at large have forgiven him?Suella Braverman Getty Images Suella Braverman was the former home secretary as part of Liz Truss's government, but quit earlier this week after admitting she had broken the rules by sending emails from her personal account. She is thought to have ambitions to rise higher within the party, so could put herself forward among MPs to see if she can get the 100 nominations she would need to have a go at the contest. Ben Wallace AFP He is currently known for his role as defence secretary and has had many government roles before. Many within the party think he would make a good leader, but despite his popularity within the Conservatives he hasn't ever put himself forward for the PM job before. He has also been praised for his strong support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion on 24 February. But it remains to be seen if the top job is one he is interested in. Someone else? Getty Images Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Tom Tugendhat, who stood in the last contest, held over the summer, have all said they won't be going for the job. Other names being put forward as contenders, although not confirmed, include International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, and Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis.

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Your Comments

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To use comments you will need to have JavaScript enabled. These comments are now closed.159 commentsG

GreenBug101

19:42I find this very confusing! I hope we find a new PM!0 C

Chocolatelover12

17:35Hi0C

Crazy Climbing Chameleon

18:14to Chocolatelover12"Hi"Crazy Climbing Chameleon replied: Hey0P

pizzame

17:30This is getting very out of hand. Every prime minister that the conservatives have voted has been rubbish. I think it should be a big general election because it is the country and the people in it who get affected the most.0C

Crazy Climbing Chameleon

17:04Guys, just bear in mind a lot of people don't like Rishi because he broke the rules in covid 19.

But still, anyone's better than Boris.

?Chameleon ?
Autistic and proud!
Happy Halloween guys! 1P

PrincessLayla

17:10to Crazy Climbing Chameleon"Guys, just bear in mind a lot of people don't like Rishi because he broke the rules in covid 19.But still, anyone's better than Boris.?Chameleon ? Autistic and proud! Happy Halloween guys! "PrincessLayla replied: no, boris was a good pm!

Rishi is evan werse!! I carnt go intoo detail though but I can just say this:
He made some bad remarks about covid... I really do wanna say it but I can't but that's ok!!
But after having covid myself it reely upset me!!
Boris never did say that... he took covid seriously (ok broken the rules but at least he did something about it)13More replies (5)downG

GoRugbyGyals

15:32I hope Boris Johnson does NOT come back, he may have been slightly better that Liz Truss but I still think he made wrong choices and that other candidates will do a better job. If I'm honest I will have to say that I don't think any of them are good enough but maybe the best one right now in my opinion is Sir Keir Starmer. Thank you for reading! 0C

chocaddict

13:09Our new PM should lead our country and make the right choices.1D

Daxethedancer

08:40even though this would not happen, in theory, could liz put herself up for pm again1S

slimemermaid

08:09I want it to be Ben Wallace or Penny Mordant1G

GoRugbyGyals

15:34to slimemermaid"I want it to be Ben Wallace or Penny Mordant"GoRugbyGyals replied: Why?0More replies (1)downC

Crazy Climbing Chameleon

08:08Don't do it! Don't choose Boris! Noooo!

?Chameleon ?
Autistic and proud!
Happy Diwaili guys! 1R

RavenclawRose

10:35to Crazy Climbing Chameleon"Don't do it! Don't choose Boris! Noooo!?Chameleon ? Autistic and proud! Happy Diwaili guys! "RavenclawRose replied: Why not ?1More replies (18)downF

footballplayer345

07:46This is getting confusing but I don't want Boris Johnson to be our PM0G

GoRugbyGyals

15:40to footballplayer345"This is getting confusing but I don't want Boris Johnson to be our PM"GoRugbyGyals replied: I agree! 0More replies (1)downRemoved commentU

U20392379

19:23 21 OctPeople judged Boris Johnson too hard, all he did is stop having a meeting and eat a cake! The people in attendance were already there for a meeting. Most did that at work. People are thinking that PMs should just not make mistakes but they're still human. Alright, Liz Truss made too many mistakes but she wouldn't have had to be in office if Boris had been given some leeway. Please, forget this if I'm wrong, but if Boris was still PM he would get this cost crisis done and dusted. If not Boris, give us a General Election. Boris or Labour.

NewsroundWizardBluePeterCrossing9P

PrincessLayla

19:57 21 Octto U20392379"People judged Boris Johnson too hard, all he did is stop having a meeting and eat a cake! The people in attendance were already there for a meeting. Most did that at work. People are thinking that PMs should just not make mistakes but they're still human. Alright, Liz Truss made too many mistakes but she wouldn't have had to be in office if Boris had been given some leeway. Please, forget this if I'm wrong, but if Boris was still PM he would get this cost crisis done and dusted. If not Boris, give us a General Election. Boris or Labour.NewsroundWizardBluePeterCrossing"PrincessLayla replied: !! This
Your comment! Made me so happy!!
me and my mum both support boris!! And my mum saw mean comments from adults.. adults!! They should know better.
Boris was good ok could be better but he good. Thank you for saying this you are amazing ?14More replies (37)downRemoved commentG

Grace

17:48 21 Octnot BoJo...1U

U20899681

18:40 21 Octto Grace"not BoJo..."U20899681 replied: who is bojo0More replies (1)downP

PrincessLayla

17:28 21 OctBoris!! please. The others well I only know boris but the others probably won't do much about covid (ok so we have vaccines but still) during these winter months it will surge it's rising now. And I had covid and was very sick and having a phobia of feeling and being sick I don't want it again. They should do soemthing for winter at least and I remember reading somewhere earlier this year boris wouldn't hesitate bringing back masks. Or really tony Blair would be best.
And ok he broke rules. 2 years ago!! Stop using the past too judge how he'd act present day.15P

PrincessLayla

17:47 21 Octto PrincessLayla"Boris!! please. The others well I only know boris but the others probably won't do much about covid (ok so we have vaccines but still) during these winter months it will surge it's rising now. And I had covid and was very sick and having a phobia of feeling and being sick I don't want it again. They should do soemthing for winter at least and I remember reading somewhere earlier this year boris wouldn't hesitate bringing back masks. Or really tony Blair would be best.And ok he broke rules. 2 years ago!! Stop using the past too judge how he'd act present day."PrincessLayla replied: Oops I forgot:

Not just covid though. Cost of living! Help people be happy again and redone pets that people can't look after because everyone is expensive
And help... just help everything! Make everything better again.
I prefer boris because again I'm familiar with him anyway and he's good my mum prefers him too!! But really idm just make us happier again?14More replies (10)downU

U20899681

17:19 21 Octput a like bellow if you want rishi to be our mp3C

Crazy Climbing Chameleon

18:26to U20899681"put a like bellow if you want rishi to be our mp"Crazy Climbing Chameleon replied: Deffo0U

U20899681

17:16 21 Octactually I quite like penny of rishi!!!0U

U20899681

17:09 21 Octsuella braverman or rishi sunak0U

U20899681

17:05 21 OctI am so confused what's been going on in these few weeks1U

U20899681

18:38 21 Octto U20899681"I am so confused what's been going on in these few weeks"U20899681 replied: me tooo!!0More replies (1)downA

AmazingEarth11

16:08 21 OctUgh do NOT bring Boris back and none of the others are any better. The only person fit to lead the country is Kier Starmer. Labour should be given a chance and they might not be the best but the other parties need a chance to prove what they can do.3U

U20899681

17:16 21 Octto AmazingEarth11"Ugh do NOT bring Boris back and none of the others are any better. The only person fit to lead the country is Kier Starmer. Labour should be given a chance and they might not be the best but the other parties need a chance to prove what they can do."U20899681 replied: me too!!!0More replies (3)downMore commentsBack to topunknown

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