1922 Committee Appoints New Chair Ahead of Tory Leadership Race

Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, in an official Parliament photo issued on June 16, 2023. (PA)

The influential 1922 Committee, which organises and decides the rules of the Conservative Party leadership contest, has elected a new chairman, amid claims of a “bent” vote.

Tory MPs elected the Harrow East MP, 68-year-old Bob Blackman, to lead the committee on Tuesday.

The 1922 Committee, also known as “the 22”, is comprised of all Conservative backbenchers and meets weekly when the Commons is sitting. It organises ballots on changes in leadership and oversees votes of no confidence.

Mr. Blackman won 61 of the 98 votes, beating his opponent Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the MP for North Cotswolds, who secured 37 votes.

Votes were cast in the Houses of Parliament between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., but some MPs have been reportedly told in an email they could vote until 6 p.m.

One of them, former government minister and the chair of the European Research Group, Mark Francois, arrived after the 5.30 p.m. deadline and was unable to vote.

“This election was bent,” Mr. Francois said as he left the room.

“I think the 1922’s level of competence has reached a new low.”

Powerful Role

The controversy comes as prospective Conservative leadership candidates are preparing for a leadership contest to appoint a replacement for Rishi Sunak.

Following the landslide Labour victory in the general election, Mr. Sunak said that he would stand down as Tory leader, “once formal arrangements for selecting” his successor are in place.

With the Tory leadership contest, expected shortly after summer and in his new role as chair, Mr. Blackman will have considerable power within the party.

He will announce the rules and timetables of the contest, including the deadlines and the nomination requirements for MPs putting themselves forward.

Mr. Blackman was one of the 121 Conservative MPs who managed to stay afloat, following the loss of  244 Tory seats in Parliament.

He won a majority of 11,680 and a 53.3 percent share of the votes—the highest of any Tory MP and the only one to achieve a majority of total votes.

The Harrow East MP succeeds Sir Graham Brady, the previous chair of the 1922 Committee.

Sir Graham became well known for dispatching former prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss after they had lost the confidence of the backbenchers. Sir Graham stood down as an MP at the last election and was given a peerage by Mr. Sunak.

Race for Leadership

The 22 is set to meet later this week to decide on the process of Mr. Sunak’s replacement. The race for leadership will come at a challenging time for the Conservative Party.

Recovering, from a devastating election defeat and the loss of some Cabinet members, the Conservatives have little time to ponder over what went wrong, as they brace for the leadership contest.

James Cleverly, appointed as the shadow home secretary in the recent reshuffle, has warned against “bitter infighting” among the Tories and said that his party needs to “get our act together” ahead of the leadership contest.

The direction of the party could be formed for years to come by its next leader. Whether the top job goes to a right-winger or a more moderate candidate depends on the outcome of the race.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, known for her right-wing views on immigration, is a potential leadership contender. Joining her on the right of the political spectrum is Kemi Badenoch, former business secretary moved to serve as shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities.

Possible candidates also closer to the right wing of the Tory political spectrum are former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel and former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.

Mr. Cleverly, and the former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, could also enter the leadership race and are largely seen as centrist. Another centrist figure, Jeremy Hunt, has ruled out running.

PA Media contributed to this report.