Several councillors across the district have shared their thoughts and opinions on who they feel would be best candidate as the next Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister.

Results from the first round of voting were announced yesterday, with Boris Johnson coming top of the poles with 114 votes from MP’s.

The election comes after Theresa May announced her resignation as leader on Friday, June 7, although she will remain Prime, Minister until her successor is chosen.

The winner of the election to succeed Mrs May is expected to be announced in the week of July 22.

Here are what some of the councillor’s of Epping Forest District Council had to say:

Cllr Chris Whitbread - Conservative

“It’s an important time for the Conservative Party to get the right person as our new leader.

“They are very strong candidates to choose from and they all bring something different to the table

“I feel Dominic Raab and Sajid Javid are Javid both obviously has something to offer but personally, I would be backing Boris Johnson.

“I think he has a strong vision for the future where he wants to take us post-Brexit and he has been Mayor of London twice.

“If you have a look in depth at his policies post-Brexit they all sound right to me and the fact that he wants to invest more into education, to me, is a sound candidate.

“If you asked me if I had vote today, I would be backing Boris Johnson.

“When it comes to Dominic Raab I think he has been very strong who understands the arguments and is a strong personality who does go to Europe who represents us on our behalf and I think he did a good job when he was Brexit Secretary.

“We have to look beyond Brexit because when this is done, we need to take the country forward and making sure our economy remains strong and that we see investment in the areas that really matter to people.

“Once Brexit is done, the things that really matter to everyone are health, education, social care and all those big issues of today that need addressing.

“Sajid I think said the other day is that a leader is not just for Brexit but for the future, he was quite right and it’s about where are we going to go.

“I think those three to me are the stand-out candidates, who knows how to deal with the Brexit issue and knows how to take our country forward.”

Cllr David Plummer - Green Party

“I am going to say that Rory Stewart is the least bad option. Although his voting record shows he is just as bad as everyone else particularly when it comes to taxation and welfare.

“He is another Tory who supports hammering the poor to support the rich.

“It’s a shame more hasn’t been made about climate emergency because there is no issue that is more important, so its disappointing none them have led on that.

“Whatever happens it will still be Conservative Prime Minister.

“Boris Johnson is an embarrassment and has made racist and misogynist comments civil servants have done a much harder job than what he did as Foreign Secretary.

“The world has already got a Trump, the last thing the world needs is another one.

“I think the Conservative party has caved into the Brexit extremists within their party and they don’t seem to be paying any attention to try and stop the process, which an increasing majority of population have expressed their opinion.

“It would be incredibly damaging to the country and to our economy so why aren’t they fighting this tooth and nail?

“The people that make the decision are going to have to deal with the fallout.”

Cllr Jon Whitehouse - Liberal Democrats

“I can’t say anyone of them particularly appeal if I’m honest.

“What the country needs is someone who can bring the country together and a way forward which does not expose the risk of crashing out of the European Union without a deal.

“It all seems to be about internal party politics rather than what’s best of the country and to me, most of them are falling into the same cup that Theresa May fell into by promising things they cannot deliver.

“What it is going to be important is lead to prevent more disillusioned trust with people about what’s possible and achievable.

“Changing the Prime Minister and changing the Conservative leader doesn’t actually change any of the facts, they need to work together to break the deadlock.

“I suspect that whatever comes out from this election they need to be put the people in a people’s vote to decide what the Government does or whether they want to stick with what we have got.”

“About Brexit, I am extraordinary frustrated as there are many important issues that matter to the country. including the future of social care, climate change and a lot of these things are not getting the attention they deserve.

“That’s why I think it needs to come back to the people.”

Cllr Stephen Murray – Independent

“I would say whoever is chosen really needs to get an endorsement fairly quickly from the British people for a general election.

“I don’t think it is fair that our new Prime Minister is chosen from a relatively small amount of people.

“This is exactly what the Conservatives argued in 2007 when Gordon Brown was elected as leader, they argued very strongly that general election should be held to help endorse the new Prime Minister.

“I am not inspired by any of them, I don’t find any of them very inspiring people and I haven’t really heard what they are going to do for ordinary people, they don’t seem to be saying anything that will reward anybody.

“Whoever the Conservatives choose because it is such a narrow group of people, I really think a new Prime Minister needs to be endorsed by a general election.”