Britain could have a new prime minister by September 5 after a rapid round of voting by MPs in the next two weeks.
With a widespread desire to see Boris Johnson removed from office at the earliest opportunity, Conservative MPs are expected to whittle down the field to the last two candidates before Parliament's summer break on Thursday next week.
It is understood the remaining pair will provide a written undertaking to put themselves before the ballot of 200,000 Conservative Party members who will vote for Britain’s next leader.
This is to avoid any back-room deal between the candidates, as happened when Theresa May became prime minister in 2016 after Andrea Leadsom dropped out, without the pair being scrutinised by a series of nationwide hustings.
Late on Monday the precise timetable and election rules will be set out by the 1922 Committee that sets Conservative Party rules. The National understands there is now a provisional working timetable.
Monday, July 11
Shortly after 7pm the 1922 Committee will agree on the precise rules for the race and the number of supporters required to proceed to the first round of votes, potentially 20 MPs.
Tuesday, July 12
Currently 11 candidates have put themselves forward as the next Conservative Party leader. This could expand to 12 or 13 — in 2019 there were initially 10 — who must submit their nominations to the 1922 Committee by 6pm.
Any contender not backed by 20 MPs — including a proposer and seconder — will be out.
Wednesday, July 13
Boris Johnson will attend his first Prime Minister’s Questions in the knowledge that many sat behind him wielded the knives that led to his resignation on Thursday last week.
The first round of voting with take place in a large committee room in the Commons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. MPs unable to attend in person — because they are banned from Parliament or are on official overseas trips — can ask a fellow MP to make a proxy vote.
The results will be announced on Wednesday evening.
Thursday, July 14
Contenders who do not have the support of 10 per cent of the parliamentary party’s 358 MPs will bow out. If a dozen candidates are standing this could well shrink the field at this stage by half.
Votes will be eagerly sought by the remaining candidates — with possible deals struck for places in the next government — before Thursday’s second round of voting.
The candidate placed last will then be removed from the contest.
There will also be a hustings, in which contenders are questioned by colleagues, possibly on Thursday morning.
Sunday, July 17
The first of the televised debates of the remaining candidates will be broadcast live at 7pm on ITV. Performances before a studio audience could have a significant effect on the outcome.
Monday, July 18
This is being labelled “Super Monday”, when the future potential prime ministers will be grilled by three different Tory MP groups – the 1922 Committee, the anti-woke Common Sense Group and a grouping of senior MPs. Meanwhile, Sky television is expected to host a debate in the evening.
Tuesday, July 19
A third and potentially fourth round of voting will take place, allowing for two ballots in a single day. This could whittle the candidates down a final three.
Wednesday, July 20
The last day of voting should reveal which two people will go forward to be elected by the Conservative Party membership. This will also be the day of Mr Johnson’s last PMQs.
Parliament will close on Thursday although that could be used as a reserve for any voting still required.
August
Conservative Central Office will organise a number of hustings around the UK in which various Conservative Associations will be able to directly question the remaining two candidates.
In 2019 these took place in Belfast, Cardiff, Darlington, Nottingham, Perth and York.
Members will be balloted by a postal vote with a deadline potentially set for Tuesday, August 30, the day after the bank holiday.
Monday, September 5
Conservative headquarters in London will announce the winner, who will become next Tory party leader and hence Britain’s new prime minister.
Two days later he or she will be in the Commons for their first PMQ battle with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Conservative leadership candidates – in pictures
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Read more about the coronavirus
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries