How does voting work in the Tory leadership race?

Members will begin receiving ballot packs from Monday and will have more than four weeks to register their votes with CCHQ, writes Ashley Cowburn

If a significant cohort of members delay their votes until later in the contest, Rishi Sunak has a chance to turn things around (AFP/Getty)

As Boris Johnson hosts a long-delayed wedding celebration at the country house of a billionaire Tory donor this weekend, any far-fetched hopes of his name being on the ballot of the party’s leadership contest will evaporate.

Publicising a petition demanding that members have the option to re-elect Mr Johnson as Conservative leader, those supportive of the outgoing prime minister warned that replacing him would amount to “guaranteeing” a Labour victory at the next general election.

But this weekend, party officials will be busy preparing to send out ballot papers to the 160,000-plus fee-paying members who will vote to elect either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak as his successor.