Britain's Conservative Party said on Monday it will name its new leader on Nov. 2, following the party's worst-ever election performance this month that prompted former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to say he would stand down.
Sunak will remain acting leader until the appointment of a successor, the Conservative Party said in a statement.
The leadership contest will see the party narrow down the field of nominations to four candidates who will make their case at the Conservative Party conference.
The nominations will further narrow down to two candidates, following which party members will vote for a leader.
The Times, which was first to report the contest, said up to eight candidates were expected to put their names forward.
Sunak's election campaign ended in failure on July 4, when the centre-left Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a landslide victory that ended 14 years of Conservative-led government.
Sunak said in his final speech outside the prime minister's Downing Street office that he would quit as leader of the party once formal arrangements for his successor were in place.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the ceasefire with Iran was not over, even as the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as Tehran sought to thwart a new US naval effort to open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
A blast at a fireworks factory in China has killed at least 26 people and injured 61, flattening buildings and sending towering clouds of smoke into the sky, and prompting President Xi Jinping to order a thorough investigation, state media reported on Tuesday.
A Russian overnight missile and drone attack on Ukrainian gas production facilities killed five people, including two rescue workers, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, as Kyiv and Moscow exchanged rival ceasefire proposals.