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When a PM resigns they are expected to protect the monarch from the political fray by advising which candidate is best placed to command the confidence of parliament. In normal times commanding the confidence of the cabinet shd do the trick. But...
...these are not normal times. A candidate commanding the support of this cabinet may not be enough if a significant proportion of the governing party (ERG?) suggest they have no confidence in the cabinet’s candidate. So ERG and PM could both have cards to play...
...if ERG or DUP kick off against Candidate X then PM could tell cabinet: I will not be able to advise the Queen that he / she can command confidence of parl. So some power still in hands of PM + whichever group in governing party in hung parliament that decides to kick off.
Palace will have views: keep HMQ out of politics by making sure successor nominated by PM can command confidence of parliament. Still raw memories of how Queen perceived to have been unfairly drawn too close to politics when Tory ‘Magic Circle’ chose Alec Douglas-Home in 1963
