KAREN Lumley, MP for Redditch, has declared her support for Andrea Leadsom MP to take over the reins of the Conservative Party and become the next Prime Minister.
The contest ended its first phase last week when five candidates declared their interest. They were Stephen Crabb, Liam Fox, Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May.
As there are more than two candidates, a series of secret ballots will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from tomorrow, July 5, until the list is whittled down to two. In each ballot of the party’s 330 MPs, the MP with the least support will be eliminated. The two remaining candidates will then go forward to a vote of the entire Conservative Party membership, although members must have been a member for at least three months to qualify for a vote.
The winner of that vote will become the new Conservative leader and Prime Minister.
Mrs Lumley said: “Andrea will get my vote in the ballot. We entered the House of Commons together in 2010 and she is great friend of mine.
“I spoke to her over the weekend to confirm my support. She was a very eloquent supporter of the Leave campaign in the EU referendum, which I think is important, while we both served on the Fresh Start APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group).
“I believe she would make an excellent leader of the Conservative Party, a brilliant Prime Minister and would lead the way out of the EU in a sensible and reasoned manner.”
The Fresh Start project was the Conservative element in a wider push for reform of Britain’s role in Europe. It was formed in 2011 and its sole objective was to build a better relationship for Britain within the EU.
