THE candidates are already off, and the field crowded with would-be prime ministers, declared and undeclared. The cost-of-living crisis, the bleak outlook for growth, the febrile international situation, the problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol ... these are urgent matters that cannot be left on hold. In the interests of the country, the Conservative Party will need to set a brisk, but realistic, programme for the election of a party leader.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Treasurer of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, has said a dozen MPs may enter the leadership race. He suggests that the aim will be to whittle down the list of candidates to two through a series of votes by Tory MPs before the Commons rises on Thursday, July 21. That tight timetable is attractive.
