Tory leadership contest: what happens next?

The race for the Conservative party leadership is down to two, with either foreign secretary Liz Truss or former chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak poised to become the next UK Prime Minister.

The candidates now face a summer of campaigning and hustings, before a vote by the wider party membership, with a winner set to be announced on September 5th.

Ms Truss is the bookies’ favourite after opinion polls gave her a strong lead, but Mr Sunak’s supporters are playing that down.

So, who are these rivals and what do they stand for? And, what impact will a new prime minister have on the UK’s relationship with the EU and Ireland and its approach to the Northern Ireland protocol.

In the latest episode of The Irish Times In the News podcast, London Editor Denis Staunton takes us through the twists and turns in the contest so far and explains what happens next.

In The News is presented by Sorcha Pollak and Conor Pope and produced by Declan Conlan, Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan.