The runners and riders are announced.

[Workingman]

They are: Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat. Braverman decided not to stand, so she might defect to Reform Plc.

Not exactly an inspiring list, is it?

It is also announced that any of the candidates attacking another candidate will get a "yelllow card" and a public dressing down. So, we can expect a bland and anaemic campaign in order to pretend that the Cons are a united party.

The grandees claim that the "constant backbiting" of the past five years cost them the election. How deluded! It was 14 years of lies and incompetence that saw them thrown out.

[Kaz]

Rather a grim lineup there. The problem is that Boris got rid of the centrists - basically anyone he thought might out manoeuvre his daftest ideas - and they were left with extreme right-wingers. He got rid of Hammond, who was our MP in Egham (Runnymede) who was actually a decent guy; Mick had some correspondence with him over a local issue and he replied several times, thoughtfully and really seemed to care…..

I agree that Braverman will jump ship, the Tories aren’t extreme enough for her - her views echo some of the area Party lunacy in the States.

[cromwell]

I suppose Badenoch will win if she doesn't get stitched up.
But no, it's not a very inspiring line up.

[TheOstrich]

Love the idea of the Yellow Card scheme if the infighting gets too tasty .....

What the Tories really need is a real proper fresh candidate, some new face that will have no baggage from the Cameron / Johnson / Truss / Sunak eras.
That person is yet to be discovered .....

[Suff]

That person is yet to be discovered .....

Hardly surprising. In the current state of the Tory party anyone who stands up and talks sense, which disagrees with even 10 MP's beliefs, will be hammered down hard.

So who wants to put their head over that parapet. The only way the Tories are going to heal is to lose the next election too and to have to do some serious introspection.

I understand the Yellow Card bit. You just have to look at the US presidential election right now with their primaries. Calling everyone for everything then all standing behind the "chosen one" and reading from the party line. It doesn't make for confidence in the Democratic process does it?

[Workingman]

Re the yellow card.

It depends what the threshold is. I would prefer a campaign with a bit of "edge" but obviously without what we now call "hate speech".

What I do not want is it set so high that what we get are two-faced angels with their lying smiling faces.

[Suff]

What I do not want is it set so high that what we get are two-faced angels with their lying smiling faces.

Me neither. There is a large scope of land between this and knock down drag out with brass knuckles.

Unfortunately a sense of proportion seems to have gone.

[Workingman]

I want an open contest so that the candidates are free to set out their stalls and flesh out their priorities.

They will be talking to three audiences: MPs, who will whittle the list down from six to two, hopefully, so that there is a choice. Then the members, who will eventually pick the leader. Then us, the electorate, who will decide if the party is fit to rule or not.

There will be polls of the audiences during the campaign to help guide the MPs and members on the selection they make. The electorate will look on for four years or more before making its decision.

[cromwell]

MPs, who will whittle the list down from six to two.

Ah, so that's where the fix is. The members to be presented with a choice between Jack Johnson and John Jackson.

[Kaz]

Don't party members choose?.