What will happen after the shock Conservative vote?

Shock at Eliminate James Cleverly It was close to universal.

Not only did he fail to muster a few more votes to reach the final two votes, he actually fell behind.

How on earth did that happen?

In secret balloting, theories vary, but protest attracts more credibility than conspiracy between different campaigns.

Some believe that some Conservative MPs concluded that Cleverly was home and dry and could therefore afford to vote for someone else, in the hope that this would contribute to eliminating a candidate they did not really want to run in a run-off.

Others say the other two campaigns were simply more effective and more persuasive when they mattered most.

who knows.

To be honest, it doesn’t matter anymore.

The final pair identified is Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, not an either-or.

The shorthand political labels of people within a political party are often inadequate in portraying the accuracy of their outlook – but those who consider themselves centrists, or to the left of the conservative spectrum, find themselves without a standard-bearer to choose from.

They express their disappointment at the lack of greater breadth of choice in the last two candidates, which are made up of candidates who consider themselves to be on the right of the party.

Robert Jenrick has moved to the right since becoming an MP, and his experience in government has changed his instincts on immigration, for example.

Her supporters see Kemi Badenoch as a potential star: stubborn about her conservatism and willing to say what others won’t.

But even its supporters acknowledge, as one told me, that it is a “work in progress,” more prone to moments of pep talk than incidents of triumph.

This race is changing now.

It’s a new election, with new voters.

It is no longer just a matter of 121 Conservative MPs, but tens of thousands of Conservative Party members across the UK.

Jenrick’s team sees themselves as rivals and underdogs.

And their strategy seems to be embracing just that: challenge Kemi Badenoch to debate her anytime, anywhere, anywhere.

Jenrick will emerge straight from the blocks with a speech at Westminster on Thursday.

Badenoch’s team points out that she has topped the MPs’ votes and polls suggest she is always the most popular potential leader among party members.

She will begin this next phase of her campaign alongside an aspiring Tory councilor contesting a council by-election on the outskirts of London.

It may sound simple, but remember who the electorate is: Conservative Party members, just like the council candidate.

We can expect both candidates to focus heavily on issues seen as of interest to party members and try to meet as many of them as possible.

Yes, there will be a reference to the wider electorate, and a desire to demonstrate the ability to win a general election, but those who have the right to vote in this contest are those who now hold power.

Ballots will be sent out in the coming days, and party members will have just over two weeks to vote, on paper or online.

Then, three weeks later, on Saturday 2 November, Rishi Sunak’s successor will be announced.

This point will mark the end of the post-election period in British politics.

By then, the government will have drawn up its first budget and a new opposition leader will be appointed.

The political landscape will take shape in the coming years.