2019 Conservative Party leadership election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2019 Conservative Party leadership election

← 2016 7 June – 22 July 2019 (2019-06-07 – 2019-07-22)
Full results for all candidates below
Opinion polls
Turnout	87.4%
Candidate Boris Johnson Jeremy Hunt Fifth MPs' ballot 160 (51.1%) 77 (24.6%) Members' vote 92,153 (66.1%) 46,656 (33.5%)
Leader before election Theresa May Elected Leader Boris Johnson

The 2019 Conservative Party leadership election was a special vote to choose a new leader for the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. This election happened because the previous leader and Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced she would step down. She said she would resign as party leader on 7 June 2019 and as Prime Minister once a new leader was chosen.

The process began with many people wanting to become leader. On 10 June 2019, ten candidates were officially nominated. These candidates were all Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Conservative Party. The MPs voted in several rounds to narrow down the choices. The first vote by MPs was on 13 June, followed by more votes on 18, 19, and 20 June.

After five rounds of voting by MPs, only two candidates remained: Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson. The final decision was then made by the general members of the Conservative Party across the country. They voted by postal ballot. On 22 July 2019, Boris Johnson was elected as the new leader.

Who Wanted to Be Leader?

This section explains which Conservative MPs wanted to become the new leader. The election had different stages where candidates were either nominated, eliminated, or withdrew from the race.

Final Candidates: The Last Two

The following MPs were officially nominated and made it through all five rounds of voting by other MPs. They were the last two candidates that party members voted on.

• 

  Jeremy Hunt was the Foreign Secretary (in charge of foreign affairs).
  (MP for South West Surrey)
  from Surrey

• 

  Boris Johnson was a former Foreign Secretary.
  (MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
  from Greater London

Candidates Who Were Eliminated

In each round of voting by MPs, candidates who received the fewest votes were eliminated.

Fifth Round of Voting

This MP was eliminated on 20 June because they didn't get enough votes to move forward.

• 

  Michael Gove was the Environment Secretary.
  (MP for Surrey Heath)
  from Surrey

Fourth Round of Voting

This MP was eliminated on 20 June because they didn't get at least 50 votes.

• 

  Sajid Javid was the Home Secretary (in charge of policing and immigration).
  (MP for Bromsgrove)
  from Worcestershire

Third Round of Voting

This MP was eliminated on 19 June because they didn't get at least 30 votes.

• 

  Rory Stewart was the International Development Secretary.
  (MP for Penrith and the Border)
  from Cumbria

Second Round of Voting

This MP was eliminated on 18 June because they didn't get at least 30 votes.

• 

  Dominic Raab was a former Brexit Secretary.
  (MP for Esher and Walton)
  from Surrey

First Round of Voting

These MPs were eliminated on 13 June because they didn't get at least 17 votes.

• 

  Andrea Leadsom was a former Leader of the House of Commons.
  (MP for South Northamptonshire)
  from Northamptonshire

• 

  Mark Harper was a former Chief Whip (who makes sure MPs vote with their party).
  (MP for Forest of Dean)
  from Gloucestershire

• 

  Esther McVey was a former Work and Pensions Secretary.
  (MP for Tatton)
  from Cheshire

Candidates Who Withdrew

Some candidates decided to leave the race before being eliminated by votes.

Withdrew During Voting Rounds

This person was officially nominated but decided to withdraw after the first round of voting because they didn't have enough support.

• 

  Matt Hancock was the Health Secretary.
  (MP for West Suffolk)
  from Suffolk
  Withdrew:
  14 June

Withdrew Before Voting Started

These people announced they wanted to be leader but then decided not to stand or withdrew before the first vote by MPs.

• 

  James Cleverly was a Parliamentary Brexit Secretary.
  (MP for Braintree)
  from Essex
  Withdrew:
  4 June

• 

  Sam Gyimah was a former Universities Minister.
  (MP for East Surrey)
  from Surrey
  Withdrew:
  10 June

• 

  Kit Malthouse was the Housing Secretary.
  (MP for North West Hampshire)
  from Hampshire
  Withdrew:
  4 June

Election Timeline: How it Happened

This timeline shows the key dates and events during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.

Election Results: Who Won?

In the Conservative Party leadership election, MPs vote in several rounds. After each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. In 2019, new rules were added because there were so many candidates.

For the first vote on 13 June 2019, candidates needed at least 17 votes to stay in the race. For the second vote on 18 June, they needed at least 33 votes. This table shows how many votes each candidate received in every round.

Images for kids

• 

  Theresa May announcing her plan to resign outside 10 Downing Street on 24 May 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Elección de liderazgo del Partido Conservador (Reino Unido) de 2019 para niños