The Conservatives are expected to use their party conference to hold the hustings between the final two candidates for leader amid concerns that the party doesn’t have enough money for a longer contest ?? https://t.co/RTbd3pSQHr

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) July 15, 2024

The Times report

The Conservatives are expected to use their party conference to hold the hustings between the final two candidates for leader amid concerns that the party doesn’t have enough money for a longer contest.

The 1922 committee, which represents backbench MPs, and the board of the Conservative Party are this week expected to set out the timetable for the contest.

Under the plans being considered MPs will whittle down the contenders — there are expected to be as many as seven — to two in September. The hustings would be held during the Conservative Party conference at the beginning of October before party members are given the final say.

There are concerns that if the contest drags on it will lead to significant financial difficulties for the party. Donors are likely to hold off giving money until Rishi Sunak’s successor has been elected.

“Money is a serious consideration,” said a senior party source. “While we have some contingency funding, recent history suggests that donors don’t give to the party during leadership contests.

“That is a problem because we urgently need to rebuild our finances and that cannot happen until a new leadership is in place.”

Another source added that the party’s lack of money was an “important” factor in determining how long the leadership contest should run for.

I suspect this timetable will be sub-optimal for a lesser known candidate who could have used the conference to announce themselves then win with the MPs and then the members in the way David Cameron used conference in the 2005 leadership contest.

TSE