16-year-old Jay Chan moved from Hong Kong to Birmingham, England, 2 years ago. Nevertheless, he has cast his vote which will help determine who will become the new British Prime Minister. This is how the British system works.

Jay attends hustings, Conservative Party meetings. Here a party member talks with two of his party’s leadership candidates. Based on the conversation, they determine who they will vote for, and thus who will become the new Prime Minister of Great Britain. Anyone can join the Conservative Party, there is no age limit.

No new elections

Boris Johnson stepped down not only as prime minister, but also as leader of the Conservation Party in early July. Since there was no obligation in Great Britain to call new elections if the government fell, Johnson’s party would remain the largest even after his departure.

The candidate who will soon be elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party will also be the candidate for prime minister on behalf of the Conservatives. So, after his victory, prospective party leaders can go directly to Queen Elizabeth to be appointed as the new Prime Minister of Great Britain.

A different prime minister every week

That’s how the UK system works, says deputy editor Henry Hill of leading platform Conservativehome.com. “Few people are happy about this. In principle, the British parliament can appoint a new prime minister every week, if they so choose.”

The Conservative Party is not even obligated to ask its members who they think should be the new leader. That the party does this now is a choice, says Hill.

‘An honor to participate’

It is doubtful whether members of the Conservative Party are a reflection of British society. Details about who the actual members are are hard to know, according to Hill. But it is known that there are around 160,000 members, most of whom are older and wealthier than the average Briton and most of whom live in London and South East and East England.

Representing or not, Jay considers it extraordinary that he could participate in this election: “I am from Hong Kong. I am an immigrant, I came to this country for freedom and democracy. I am honored to be a part of participation in this democratic process.”

Truss or Sunak

He already knew who Jay would choose: Liz Truss, due to her foreign policy and decisive appearance. And he is not alone in this. Truss is ahead of his opponent Rishi Sunak in all opinion polls. However, there were also supporters of Sunak at the meeting in Birmingham.

Grahame Taylor, for example, who was convinced by him during the night: “I think he showed so much charisma tonight and resonated so well with his audience, he definitely won my heart. And I think a likable leader will always succeed in an election.”

Euroskeptic

Even so, it seems that Sunak’s chances of victory are still not great. Rishi Sunak advocated for more government spending and even wanted to increase certain taxes. Truss is the classic conservative candidate, pro-tax cuts and small government.

While he once opposed Brexit, he now has a strong EU skeptical profile. And that, according to Hill’s deputy editor, is exactly what current members of the Conservative Party are looking for. “Sunak needed a miracle to bridge the gap.”