The winner of the contest to replace Theresa May as leader of Britain’s ruling Conservatives and Prime Minister will be announced on July 23, the ruling party said on Tuesday.
Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson is the favourite in the race, battling Britain’s current top diplomat, Jeremy Hunt. The two were chosen from a field of 10 by the Conservative party’s 313 MPs, and are now seeking to woo an estimated 1,60,000 party members who will make the final choice. Postal ballots will be sent out between July 6 and 8, and the deadline for returning them has been set at 5p.m. on July 22. “The announcement of the next leader of the Conservative party will be made on Tuesday 23 July,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson said on Tuesday it would be “bizarre” if the EU opted to impose tariffs on British goods in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “It would be a return to Napoleon’s continental system,” he added, invoking the 19th-century French emperor who attempted to blockade Britain in the Napoleonic Wars.