Everything is not so simple: When will Johnson's successor come - and how?

The British government has collapsed, Prime Minister Johnson will hand over the key to Downing Street.

Everything is not so simple: When will Johnson's successor come - and how?

The British government has collapsed, Prime Minister Johnson will hand over the key to Downing Street. A new head of cabinet is not in sight. First the Conservative Party has to make a decision.

There is a lot going on in political London, the chairs are being moved anew. Great Britain is looking for a new head of government. A new leader of the Conservative Party. And new ministers. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced his resignation, but only as head of his party. Since the Tories have a majority in the House of Commons, they can choose the new prime minister. A candidate from another party would have little chance of gaining the required majority of votes.

In London, the leader of the party also becomes prime minister. Now the Conservatives must first select a new leader who will then take over from Johnson. This is preceded by a grassroots democratic process. It is organized by a committee of non-government backbenchers. Only members with a lower house mandate can stand for internal party elections. When Johnson was elected to succeed Theresa May, there were initially ten candidates.

Several MPs have already indicated that they want to run for the post of party leader. However, the internal party vote only takes place between two candidates, so the parliamentary group must first agree on these two. Two of the resigning ministers have already expressed their interest: Sajid Javid headed the health department, Rishi Sunak was the lord of finances. British bookmakers currently have at least 8 applicants on their books. The "Guardian" lists eleven possible applicants. Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt is currently viewed as the favourite.

The committee of backbenchers agreed on the two candidates according to unknown criteria. On the other hand, the voting procedure is known, a process of elimination that is reminiscent of the trip to Jerusalem. In each voting round, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated until only two are left. The committee also determines the rules and schedule for the election.

The members elect their new party leader by letter. There is no minimum participation, whoever gets the most votes is elected head of the Conservatives. The new leader then asks the Queen for permission to form a new government, i.e. to appoint new ministers. The House of Commons must express its confidence in this government.

Johnson has suggested that he will continue to run Britain's affairs of government throughout these moves. He has already appointed an interim cabinet. According to the British media, it could also be that someone else takes over as an interim solution. When Theresa May stepped down in 2019, she continued to run the business. The entire handover process until Johnson took office took around six weeks. But there could also be a new prime minister in the fall.