Contenders to lead Britain’s defeated Conservatives woo members at a key party conference

The victor will take over a party depleted by years of turmoil under ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson — ousted by colleagues in 2022 amid ethics scandals — and his successor Liz Truss

Members of Britain’s defeated and divided Conservative Party gathered Sunday for an annual conference dominated by the search for a new leader capable of bringing the right-of-center party back from a catastrophic election defeat.

U.K. voters ousted the Tories in a July election, leaving the party that had governed since 2010 with just 121 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. The center-left Labour Party won more than 400 seats and returned to office under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.