Credit: Shutterstock photoWith the field to choose the next UK Conservative Party leader and likely prime minister narrowed down to Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May, we have followed up on our highly successful Brexit poll with one asking Who will be the next prime minister? We have also been asked to explain the process to choose the next Conservative Party leader and new prime minister. One of our survey participants has been kind enough to provide an explanation as follows:
The Selection Process:
The ordinary voter does not elect the leader of the party (the Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition) in the UK. This is solely a party matter for paid up party members to vote on. The public only gets to elect who will be the Government through electing a majority of MP’s for that party, meaning the winning party has their leader already chosen.
Therefore the public doesn’t get a separate vote on who will be Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition. There does not even have to be a General Election to change the Prime Minister in the UK, as you can see with the present Conservative Party vote. We now have fixed five year Parliaments since 2011 when the rules changed and as said the leader is therefore purely an internal party matter. However the total electorate could turn the ruling party out at the next election if they disagreed, but not before.
Click to participate in our Prime Minister poll
May vs. Leadsom
(From a survey participant)
May polled most MP’s votes, but remember three quarters of MP’s were in favour of Remain, whereas a majority of their constituents were in favour of Leave. Also a smaller proportion of Labour voters voted for Remain, which must mean the majority of Conservative voters voted Leave in the Referendum and as shown before Leadsom was just ahead in a poll of Conservative Party members who obviously vote differently to their MP’s so May will have a fight on her hands. As a majority of MP’s are now out of step with their constituencies, many will not have a very much longer political career, being voted out for getting it wrong at the General Election, which may now occur sooner than existing MP’s intended.
Click to participate in our Prime Minister poll
Jay Meisler, founder
Global Traders Association
jay@tradersadvocate.com
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
