# 2016 UK Conservative Party Leadership Election Discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 29, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667 "2016-06-29T02:27:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/1 "2016-06-29T02:27:37Z")
Thought it would be nice to start a thread regarding the coming leadership election for the Conservative party in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned in the aftermath of the Brexit vote and remain in office until this party elects a new leadership, hence his successor as prime minister. I know the Labour Party is facing a crisis with Jeremy Corbyn being dealt a major blow with 172 MPs voting no confidence against him, but I am interested in what the Conservatives will do next and whom they ultimately select. Likely contenders: Boris Johnson- former London mayor and face of the Brexit camp(besides UKIP leader Nigel Farage) MP for Uxbridge Theresa May-current Home Secretary, Remain supporter but stayed out the campaign before the referendum and made herself scare and neutral, MP for Maidenhead Jeremy Hunt-current secretary for Health, MP for Southwest Surrey, Remain supporter Nicky Morgan- Education secretary, MP for Loughborough, Remain supporter Stephen Crabb-current secretary for Work and Pensions, MP for Pembrokeshire, Wales. Remain supporter. He will run with Business Secretary Sajid Javid, as Chancellor Exchequer or Treasury. Speaking of Chancellor of Exchequer, George Osborne will not run. There are several other names, but these are top ones. Only Stephen Crabb has actually announced and made it official. Of he top names, only Boris Johnson was in the Leave/Brexit camp. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/2 "2016-06-29T02:36:10Z")
I think Boris Johnson should be the leader of the Conservatives, given he came out bravely and took the Brexit position. Many had thought Remain would ultimately win but Brexit won. Sure Johnson came out in support of Brexit due to personal ambitions and Machiavellian reasons, but there is nothing wrong with that. It has been known that Boris always wanted to eventually become British PM, and the only way he could was to go into the Brexit camp. Without this he hardly would have a chance, many see him as silly and not serious. He took a side and that side was the winning side, and as a leading Brexiter, has the right to become prime minister. Theresa May on the other hand did not campaign for either side, even though she is a Remain supporter. Nothing wrong with that, it’s like she was neutral. But I believe Boris took the ore braver position, his gamble paid off. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/3 "2016-06-29T03:33:11Z")
Is the party going to take a pro-Brexit stance now? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/4 "2016-06-29T08:22:22Z")
Another poster in support of Boris Johnson here. It sounds as if his Leave stance has both helped and hindered him with tory Mp’s and membership. Johnson is a far better communicator and vote winner than his fellow challengers. Theresa May is gaining in popularity. I do have a problem with May: at the moment of great political challenge it’s just not good enough to have gone into hiding. It may have been a clever political stance, but as an advert for her leadership skills it was probably less than ideal. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/5 "2016-06-29T08:32:17Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > He took a side and that side was the winning side, and as a leading Brexiter, has the right to become prime minister. He won a battle but it may well cost him the war, being the face of the Brexit campaign is not a good thing when to comes to the opinions of almost half the electorate and it would cost him and the party big time come a general election. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/6 "2016-06-29T10:03:02Z")
There’s three years before the next election. Unfortunately, while Johnson is good as a leader, he’s got a poor track record as a manager. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/7 "2016-06-29T10:16:37Z")
Johnson is a dangerous psychopath and should not be given any power. Also, according to second-hand information, he seems to be lazy, easily bored and not willing to be bothered by details. I would go with Theresa May. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/8 "2016-06-29T11:04:31Z")
It may help our colonial colleagues to compare Johnson with Reagan. Both charismatic in the extreme; both not so hot on the details. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/9 "2016-06-29T20:54:31Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > Johnson is a dangerous psychopath and should not be given any power. > > Also, according to second-hand information, he seems to be lazy, easily bored and not willing to be bothered by details. > > I would go with Theresa May. So you’re saying he is a clone of Trump? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/10 "2016-06-29T21:09:38Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > He took a side and that side was the winning side, and as a leading Brexiter, has the right to become prime minister. Theresa May on the other hand did not campaign for either side, even though she is a Remain supporter. Nothing wrong with that, it’s like she was neutral. But I believe Boris took the ore braver position, his gamble paid off. I’m not sure I would say that gambling possibly his political career on a result that was as near 50/50 as possible without deadlocking is a brave thing to do, honestly. Or that it was a smart gamble; it’s almost a toss of a coin. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/11 "2016-06-29T21:22:05Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > I’m not sure I would say that gambling possibly his political career on a result that was as near 50/50 as possible without deadlocking is a brave thing to do, honestly. He was never going to get into Number 10 otherwise. > [@](#): > > Or that it was a smart gamble; it’s almost a toss of a coin. But it was a successful gamble. It remains to be seen if he can parlay that success to the next level. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/12 "2016-06-29T21:23:08Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > So you’re saying he is a clone of Trump? Johnson plays the buffoon but is not; I can’t say the same about Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/13 "2016-06-29T21:26:37Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Johnson plays the buffoon but is not; I can’t say the same about Trump. Trump is a narcissist, as evidenced by his thin skin and need to brag all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/14 "2016-06-29T21:31:32Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > He was never going to get into Number 10 otherwise. That doesn’t make it a smart gamble. I won’t win a million pounds if I don’t play the lottery. > [@](#): > > But it was a successful gamble. That a gamble is a\* success \*does not necessarily mean that it was a wise gamble to make. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/15 "2016-06-29T21:39:36Z")
Johnson’s main attraction is his electoral appeal. His role in Brexit may or may not have harmed him, but for a Tory to win twice in London was a spectacular success. His proven ability too woo centrists is far better than anyone he will be running against. As a general rule; any Tory candidate The Independent, Guardian, Mirror and Straightdopers rail against most is probably the candidate best suited as Tory leader. ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/16 "2016-06-29T23:00:05Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > I think Boris Johnson should be the leader of the Conservatives, given he came out bravely and took the Brexit position. Many had thought Remain would ultimately win but Brexit won. Sure Johnson came out in support of Brexit due to personal ambitions and Machiavellian reasons, but there is nothing wrong with that. It has been known that Boris always wanted to eventually become British PM, and the only way he could was to go into the Brexit camp. Without this he hardly would have a chance, many see him as silly and not serious. > > He took a side and that side was the winning side, and as a leading Brexiter, has the right to become prime minister. Theresa May on the other hand did not campaign for either side, even though she is a Remain supporter. Nothing wrong with that, it’s like she was neutral. But I believe Boris took the ore braver position, his gamble paid off. I utterly reject this characterisation. As Mayor of London if nothing else, Johnson must have known how disastrous BREXIT will be. He choose to support it out of breathtaking cynicism because of his as you say ‘personal ambition and Machiavellian reasons’. For the record, since you seem confused. Causing massive damage to your countrys future to facilitate your power grab. There _is_ in fact something wrong with that. It is the act of a callous power hungry sociopath devoid of empathy for all those on whose behalf he’s supposed to be acting. These are disqualifying character flaws in the man you want running your country. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/17 "2016-06-30T09:03:34Z")
Gove has put his [hat in the ring](http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/30/brexit-live-theresa-may-and-boris-johnson-set-to-announce-leadership-bids?page=with:block-5774d625e4b04de54bfc1404#block-5774d625e4b04de54bfc1404)! > [@](#): > > I respect and admire all the candidates running for the leadership. In particular, I wanted to help build a team behind Boris Johnson so that a politician who argued for leaving the European Union could lead us to a better future. > > But I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead. Last night, they were buddies in this together. This morning? Boris must be raging. Just when you thought that Labour were the ones being overtaken by infighting… ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/18 "2016-06-30T09:10:35Z")
Theresa May now. Despite being quietly Remain in the referendum is now making quite firm Brexit noises, especially on immigration. Personally I’ll go with any PM who salvages as much as they can from the EU and doesn’t think all we need to stay afloat outside the EU is stupid Churchillian fluff about ‘believing in Britain’. I wonder also if Gove is now standing as he fears Boris is trying to back out of Brexit. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/19 "2016-06-30T09:22:36Z")
> [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > I wonder also if Gove is now standing as he fears Boris is trying to back out of Brexit. That’s what he’s signalling, anyway. It’s “events since last Thursday” which have persuaded him that Boris isn’t up to the job. Up to that point, he implies, he looked forward to a fulfilling career as the boy who polishes Boris’s boots. I think the way Gove is positioning himself is this: - May is the Remainer who now opportunistically offers to deliver Leave - Boris is the opportunistic Leaver who will try to deliver Remain - but stout-hearted Gove is the honest Leaver who will truly deliver Leave. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667/20 "2016-06-30T10:53:45Z")
Boris isn’t standing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-uk-conservative-party-leadership-election-discussion/758667.md?page=2)