London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

The surprising joviality of Tory leadership votes

The surprising joviality of Tory leadership votes

Tory MPs have been voting for party leadership - and prime ministerial - candidates, amid accusations of badmouthing and negative briefing. But what's the atmosphere really been like?

This hugely important act of democracy can seem quite secretive, especially in an age of social media.

Parliamentary rules dictate that no recordings or photos can be taken of the process, apart from when the results of each round of voting are read out.

Therefore, it's up to journalists to describe what they see and hear.

The room where the vote happens is a short distance from Central Lobby - the grand space between the House of Lords and the House of Commons that you often see on TV.

In fact, if you walk from there up the stairs to Committee Room 14, you pass several busts of former prime ministers: a reminder that by casting their ballots Conservative MPs are playing their part in history.

For the hacks who are allowed to watch it all unfold, the closest we can get is the often hot, stuffy, corridor outside the room.

At the door to the room stands one of the Commons doorkeepers, wearing a long coat with tails and a white bow tie.

She stops each MP and tells them to have their "pass and phone ready".

MPs have to leave their phones at the door so they can't share pictures of their polling cards on social media. Remember, it's supposed to be a secret ballot.

One former cabinet minister told me he objected to having to show his parliamentary pass, because it was his "constitutional right" to vote.

Some might see the irony of this position, given that the government is asking us to show ID in order to vote in future elections.

Theresa May, still a Tory MP, has been keen not to create any headlines


As MPs turn up to cast their ballots, reporters try to grab a word with them. Some walk past quickly, avoiding eye contact, desperate not to create any headlines. Theresa May has done this a few times in recent days. I wonder why?

But others stop for a quick chat. Sometimes, if they want to say something a bit outrageous, they ask if it can be "off the record".

If that's the case, we attribute their quotes to a "campaign source", "ally" or "unnamed backer".

While the contest has, at times, been acrimonious, the mood at Parliament's polling station is usually quite jovial.

MPs often share a joke with members of the 1922 Committee (made up of backbenchers), overseeing the contest, who sit at a desk ticking names off a list.

The Conservative Party might seem from the outside to be tearing itself limb from limb, but that is not the impression you get here, aside from the odd hostile briefing.

It's sometimes easy to forget the gravity of what is unfolding.

A few hundred men and women helping to select the most powerful person in the country.

Their decisions will affect all of us.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×