In the previous contest, there were many viable candidates, of which two went through to the final stage. This resulted in a ballot of all registered members of

In the previous contest, there were many viable candidates, of which two went through to the final stage. This resulted in a ballot of all registered members of the Conservative party. This process took weeks and was criticised as a waste of time by many, leaving a power vacuum during the recent cost of living crisis. What the members of the party want does not always align with what elected MPs think is best, nor what the public as a whole believes. This time around, the requirements to be eligible to proceed in the contest were tightened - candidates needed 100 MPs supporting them. This was designed to speed up the process considerably. At the deadline, Rishi was the only candidate that met the requirements, so he won by default, and there was no need to have a ballot of the members.