UK Conservative hopefuls strikingly diverse, firmly on right

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The race to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being called Britain’s most diverse political leadership campaign. Half of the eight contenders to replace Johnson as Conservative Party leader aren’t white, and only two are white men. But if the contenders reflect the face of modern Britain, the winner will be chosen by an electorate that does not. The next party leader, who will also become prime minister, will be chosen by about 180,000 Conservative members who tend to be affluent, older white men. Sunder Katwala of the think-tank British Future says the race reflects a country that has become significantly more tolerant and less racially prejudiced.