22 United Conservative Party constituencies call for early leadership review of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney

EDMONTON-The internal United Conservative Party gears are turning quickly against Alberta Premier Jason Kenney as a group of local representatives said 22 constituency associations have passed a special motion looking to hold a leadership review in the next three months.

A leadership review had already been scheduled for the spring of next year, but the new motion says that the party should hold one before March 1, 2022.

The move will be widely seen as a play to quickly oust Kenney as leader of the party he helped to found in 2017.

A letter signed by a group of constituency association presidents was sent to the UCP president, Ryan Becker, a media release stated.

The group says having 22 constituency associations pass the motion meets the party threshold for triggering a special general meeting for the purpose of conducting a leadership review."

Kenney has become unpopular in the province and within his own party after the summer saw a record-breaking COVID-19 crisis in Alberta.

The party's annual general meeting is scheduled to take place this weekend in Calgary.

More to come...

Kieran Leavitt is an Edmonton-based political reporter for the Toronto Star. Follow him on Twitter: @kieranleavitt