Think it’s all over? Think again – if Truss wins, she will have to call an election | Martin Kettle

The politician tipped to be the next Tory leader will not be an illegitimate prime minister. But she will be a weak one

The Conservative leadership contest has been dragging on for so long now that familiarity may be breeding indifference. It seems an age since Boris Johnson resigned, and there are still nearly two weeks before the new prime minister takes over. In news terms, the contest is slipping into a downpage summer sideshow. As a result, we may be losing sight of what a groundbreaking event this 2022 succession race actually is.

We should be clear that on 5 September political history will be made. What makes the contest special is that, if the polling and betting are correct, the members of a political party are about to select a prime minister, Liz Truss, for whom neither Tory MPs nor the country itself has voted. Truss will be the third prime minister to be chosen by the Tories in mid-parliament since party members got the final say in leadership contests. But she will be the first to win through party members overturning the MPs’ choice from the earlier rounds.

Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist

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