Glyn Davies: My life at Westminster is currently dominated by the process of electing a new Prime Minister in place of the recently resigned Theresa May. Originally, 13 MPs put their names forward for consideration. I know all of them quite well, and some very well. As I write this column there remain four MPs in the running. By the weekend there will be just two left standing. All members of the Conservative and Unionist Party will decide by the week beginning July 22 who has been elected as the leader of my party. He (and unfortunately they are all male) will then be formally elected our new Prime Minister by Parliament as a whole before the summer recess during the week beginning July 22.

I have agonised for months about who I should support. For me, it’s been difficult to choose between Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt. I have the highest regard for Michael’s intellectual capabilities, and his outstanding debating skills, but when faced with the voting form, I decided to vote for Jeremy Hunt. Jeremy seems to me a ‘unifier’ at a time when our politics has never been more divided. And he has been “through the political fire”. Being Prime Minister is a very tough job, working under constant pressure and a non-stop barrage of criticism, no matter what he or she does. Jeremy delivered the Olympics, survived the phone hacking/Leveson crisis, and served as Health Secretary for six years. There is no tougher job in Government than leading on one of our great public services, where the criticism will be constant, no matter how much Government money is invested in it.

As I write it seems clear that Boris Johnson will be one of the two names going through to the election process of Conservative Party members. While I won’t be voting for Boris myself, I do think he could prove capable of doing the job of Prime Minister. He would be very different from what we are used to. Since the days when Margaret Thatcher strode the world political stage, we have expected our Prime Minister to manage every aspect of government. I do not think Boris would do this. And it could well be good that he doesn’t. I would expect him to appoint independently minded individuals to his Cabinet and let them get on with it. Micro management will not be his style.

But whoever is elected, the all-consuming issue facing him will be delivering Brexit. We held a referendum three years ago and a majority of voters backed Leave. I don’t (and didn’t) think a referendum was a sensible idea. But it’s what then Prime Minister David Cameron decided to do. The Conservative Government he led tried to persuade us to vote ‘Remain’ but we didn’t. He had little choice but resign. The new Prime Minister, Theresa May sought Parliamentary approval to invoke Article 50 to deliver on the referendum result. It was passed by a very large majority voted. And then in the 2017 General Election most MPs again promised to respect the referendum result in their manifestos. It seems to me unthinkable that Parliament does not deliver on the promises to respect the 2016 referendum result.

At present, none of us know what the future holds. A majority of MPs have changed their positions and are seeking to reverse Brexit. That is the arithmetic that Theresa May faced, and that the incoming Prime Minister will face. It’s possible (just) that a new Prime Minister could deliver a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. We could leave with ‘No Deal’ on Oct 31. We could delay the process by agreeing another extension with the EU. Or we could reverse the referendum result and not Leave at all. The new Prime Minister will face a huge and daunting challenge.