There is a strong possibility that a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons will lead to an election.
So far that has not happened.
Whoever is the Prime Minister has the power to call a general election.
When the new Tory leader moves into No10, he could choose to activate an early national vote at a time of his choosing.
Alternatively, the next PM can wait until January 2025, at which point a general election is due to take place.
Conservative leadership elections are held in two stages.
The first stage involves the pre-selection of candidates for party chief. A deputy needs the support of 8 colleagues to make the preselection.
Once the list is complete, two rounds of voting take place to narrow it down.
All Conservative MPs can cast votes.
Candidates who do not meet a certain threshold in both rounds are eliminated.
A new series of votes is then carried out and in each of them the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated until only two people remain.
Then the second stage begins.
All Conservative members, not just MPs, vote for who they prefer of the final two names.
The winner becomes the next PM.
The deadlines for all Tory leadership elections are determined by the 1922 Parliamentary Committee.
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