Who Will Manage the Brexit?

Three of the five contenders for Conservative leadership promoted the "leave" camp during the referendum campaign, while the other two supported "remain." All five candidates agree that the result of the referendum has to be enforced, but so far, no candidate has specified when Article 50 should be invoked. Most say they will seek access to the EU single market, but without free migration for EU workers. The European Union has recently asserted that access to the single market necessarily entails free movement of workers, something Norway and Switzerland had to accept when they joined the European Free Trade Association.

The Five Candidates

Theresa May (Home Secretary)

May supported the "remain" camp but kept a low profile during the campaign. She shares Margaret Thatcher's view of the European Union as an agreement among sovereign nations.
In a June 30 speech, she said, "Brexit means Brexit. There must be no attempts to remain in the EU or to rejoin it through the back door." She also argued against a second referendum and early general elections.
May said Britain should first come up with a good negotiation strategy and delay formal notification of its withdrawal until early 2017. The European Union favors a quicker declaration, however, and it will likely begin to pressure the United Kingdom as soon as a new prime minister is appointed.

Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Justice)

Gove was a prominent figure in the "leave" camp and was once a close ally of former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who notably declined to seek the party leadership position. After the Brexit vote, however, Gove accused Johnson of being ill-prepared to become prime minister, saying, "Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead."
In his candidacy speech, he said, "The British people voted for change last Thursday. They sent us a clear instruction that they want Britain to leave the European Union and end the supremacy of EU law. They told us to restore democratic control of immigration policy and to spend their money on national priorities such as health, education and science instead of giving it to Brussels. They rejected politics as usual and government as usual. They want and need a new approach to running this country."

Stephen Crabb (Secretary of State for Work and Pensions)

Crabb supported the "remain" camp but now promises to respect the result of the referendum. In a speech, he said, "We will enact the British people's wishes on the EU. The verdict was clear: There is no going back. A second referendum is out of the question. What the country needs now is a clear direction, not further instability."
He said it is vital to control immigration, a position he claims is supported by the results of the referendum.
He wants the United Kingdom to remain close to Europe, but he also wants to end the supremacy of EU law.
Crabb has the backing of Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Sajid Javid, Crabb's pick for chancellor. According to Javid, who also opposes a second referendum, "In some ways we're all Brexiteers now. … It is really all about how we get on with it."
Both men espouse a trade solution similar to the proposal that Johnson floated: access to the single market with restrictions on freedom of movement.

Liam Fox (Former Defense Secretary)

Fox was one of the most visible "leave" advocates during the referendum campaign. But in the wake of the referendum, he is emphasizing party unity.
He said, "In terms of the EU, we need to make it very clear we intend to honor the instruction given to us by the British people. We will leave the EU."
He warned that it would be a "betrayal" of voters if the British government continued to abide unrestricted migration: "I don't believe the British public would accept the free movement in return for access to the single market. We need to have a more free trade approach."
Speaking on LBC Radio, Fox said, "We can't allow the Conservative leadership campaign to be dominated by the issues in the referendum; there are many other issues I care very passionately about."

Andrea Leadsom (Energy Minister)

Leadsom, who supported the "leave" camp, became famous in TV debates over the referendum and used her background in financial services to argue that Brexit would not hurt the British economy. On June 30, she posted on Twitter: "Let's make the most of the Brexit opportunities! #FreshStart"
During the Brexit campaign, she claimed that immigration could "overwhelm" Britain and said her constituents complain about not hearing English spoken when they walk down the street.
In May, Leadsom wrote that "without the shackles of the EU, we will have the opportunity to set up free trade, not just with our European neighbors, but also with the 2.2 [billion] consumers of the Commonwealth, as well as the fast-growing emerging economies of the Far East and the Americas."

What Do the Candidates Have in Common?

Every candidate promises to reduce immigration. All have promised to preserve Britain's access to the EU internal market without accepting the EU principle of free movement of citizens. But EU nations, including heavyweights Germany and France, have maintained that the two issues are linked. This will be one of the most contentious areas of negotiation.

Some party elites have spoken about holding a second referendum after exit negotiations with the European Union are finished. None of the five official candidates has mentioned this as a possibility.

How Will the Next Conservative Leader Be Elected?

The voting is scheduled to take place as follows:

July 5-12: Successive votes among Conservative members of Parliament narrow the five candidates down to two.
The final two candidates go to a ballot of the entire party membership.
Sept. 9: The result of that vote is announced.
The new prime minister must be sworn in shortly after that. It could happen in mid-September or, as Cameron announced, after the Tory Convention in early October.