Bob Blackman elected chair of the Tory party's 1922 committee

Bob Blackman has been elected as chair of the Conservative Party's influential 1922 committee, which will play a key role in picking Rishi Sunak's successor as Tory leader.

The backbench committee of MPs voted to elect Blackman – the MP for Harrow East – with 61 votes, while the other candidate – Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – received 37 votes. 

There was some confusion around the timing of the vote, with a number of Conservative MPs understood to have been unable to take part. One MP – Mark Francois – was overheard declaring the election to be “bent” after storming out of the committee room.

Among Blackman’s first jobs will be working alongside the party board to determine how Sunak’s successor as party leader will be decided. 

The committee’s previous chair Sir Graham Brady, stood down at this election and was nominated to the House of Lords by Sunak.

The chair of the committee is also the person responsible for collecting any letters of no confidence Tory MPs may wish to submit. 

Given the reduction in the number of the party's MPs since the general election the number of letters required to trigger a confidence vote has reduced too.

As things stand, if 15 per cent of Tory MPs submit a letter then there can be a confidence vote, meaning, with 121 MPs, 18 letters would be required.

When former prime minister Boris Johnson faced a confidence vote in his leadership of the party in 2022 there were 359 Tory MPs so at least 54 letters were required. 

Though that threshold was reached, Johnson ultimately survived the vote.