Why did the last leadership election take so long

[Leakygutter]

If it's possible to decree that it can be concluded within a week?

Surely either there's a process to be followed or there isn't?

"Party before country" comes to mind.

They are making up the rules.

Yes, that's what I'm hearing, but who decides what that looks like and how can it be a democratic process?

Because Boris gave himself a 2-month exit plan and as it was over the summer, no one wanted to push it.

So they used the whole time available to hold the leadership race. If they only had a week, they'd take a week, or have a caretaker PM for anything longer, but it would be wrapped up much more smartly.

I would say there's just been an election to choose the new leader of the Conservative party didn't that go well so this time the MPs seem to want to wrap it up quickly without involving the party members. Although my recollection of that was they chose the 2 final candidates and truss was one of them. Then the media bigged her up, that coupled with Sunak being the one who triggered the whole thing by saying he couldn't work with Johnson any more meant it was likely she was going to win. Part of me feels a bit sorry for her because of the part the media played as Queenmaker and then turning on her after the disastrous budget. Not too sorry though.

If the MPs get it wrong again this time (anyone remember Teresa May) they won't be able to blame the party members, it'll all be on them, and I think that's quite a good outcome. Hopefully they'll think very carefully about who is the best candidate for the job rather than what's in it for them. I don't think it's in the country's best interests right now to be in rudderless limbo for weeks either going through the process of electing a new Conservative party leader again following the same format as July/August or preparing for a general election. What a shit show.