Explained: Will the delay in voting for next UK prime minister benefit Rishi Sunak?

Even as the United Kingdom waits for its new prime minister, there’s a hiccup. Voting for the polls to pick the Conservative Party’s leader, who will replace Boris Johnson, has been delayed. What’s going on?

Government cyber experts have reportedly raised concerns over a potential hacking that could change people’s ballots, according to a report in Telegraph. While the spy agency Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has said that there was no specific threat from a hostile state, the advice was more general, concerning the voting process and its vulnerabilities.

Also read: Explained: Why Rishi Sunak will find it difficult to become PM despite being favourite of Tory MPs

What’s the fallout of the warning?

Owing to the hacking alert, the Conservative Party has said that members cannot change their vote for the next leader later in the context, reports Telegraph.

The party has ditched a hybrid system, in which members could vote first by post but later change their minds and vote online using a special security code. Now, only the first vote cast – whether by mail or online – will count.

The delivery of ballot papers to party members has been delayed. The postal ballot papers were to be sent out on Monday to 1,60,000 Tories to pick between former finance minister Rishi Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss.

The members have been informed that the ballots could arrive as late as 11 August. An email was sent out on Tuesday evening, “Your ballot is now on the way – but it will arrive with you a little later than we originally said. Please do not worry. This is because we have taken some time to add some additional security to our ballot process, which has delayed us slightly”, reports The Guardian.

Tory members have the option to vote by post or online. “To vote online, simply input the unique one-use codes printed on your ballot paper and fill in the security questions. Once used, your codes are invalid and you won’t be able to re-enter the site,” the email said.

In the case of the online option, the codes have to be deactivated to reduce the “risk of fraud”, the report says.

Will the election be delayed?

While there is a delay in voting, this will not impact the announcement of the results, which is due to take place on 5 September. The deadline for voting remains on 2 September.

How real is the threat?

The GCHQ gathers communications from around the world to identify and thwart threats to Britain. A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre, which is a part of the GCHQ, said that it provided advice to the Conservative Party.

“Defending UK democratic and electoral processes is a priority for the NCSC and we work closely with all Parliamentary political parties, local authorities and MPs to provide cyber security guidance and support,” an NCSC spokesperson told the news agency Reuters. “As you would expect from the UK's national cyber security authority we provided advice to the Conservative Party on security considerations for online leadership voting.”

What does the delay mean for the contestants?

The delay might benefit Rishi Sunak, who trails in polls of Tory members against Liz Truss in the race to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The India-origin politician is hoping to catch up as he campaigns across the country. The delay means he now has more time to make an impression on party members, especially those who are undecided.

I’m not going to stick to the failed plans of the past, I’m going to do something radically different.

Rishi Sunak explains his corporation tax plans at the Exeter hustings #Ready4Rishi pic.twitter.com/OxPKURG8wl

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 1, 2022

A YouGov poll has put Truss well ahead of Sunak in support from party members, with her lead increasing to 34 points. Sunak appears to have lost significant ground as 60 per cent of the party members polled between 29 July and 2 August say they intend to vote for the foreign secretary.

With inputs from agencies

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