2024-07-30 04:57:01
Six senior conservative politicians are set to battle it out to lead them The Conservative Party, which emerged from the general elections on July 4 with its worst ever election result. Former home secretary Suella Braverman, of the Conservative right, said she would not run and urged the party to open its doors to Nigel Farage. The race to succeed Rishi Sunak will last three months: The former prime minister will remain at the helm of the current affairs team until 2 November. Here are the candidates who have announced that they are running to replace him.
Kemi Badenoch
He is a favorite of the founders: he has said that his “unfair” policy is responsible for his party’s worst election result ever. The shadow home secretary used an article in The Times to launch his leadership bid, accusing Conservative ministers of allowing Britain to become “increasingly wealthy” and embracing “bad identity politics”. Badenoch became an MP in 2017 and as minister for women and equalities has developed a reputation as an outspoken voice on gender issues, including calling for a change to the Equality Act so that sexuality is defined as a human natural sex.
He said the “renewal” was the first task for a new Tory leader, who aims to rebuild the party by 2030 and respond to the right-wing threat from Reform UK. The former Trade and Commerce Secretary tried the leadership in 2022 after the resignation of Boris Johnson, finishing fourth. The North West Essex MP was born in Wimbledon, south-west London, but grew up in Nigeria and the US, returning to the UK at the age of 16. He has a PhD in Engineering as well as a degree in law, has worked for private bank Coutts and for the Spectator. He used language reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher, saying that the party should promote a “renewal of capitalism”. Ladbrokes has him as a 7-4 favourite, while William Hill also rates him as a 15-8 favourite.
Robert Jenrick
The former immigration minister is seen as the most likely candidate for Badenoch by the party’s right. He succeeded in ousting his former home office boss, Suella Braverman, who had abandoned his leadership aspirations, and is expected to campaign on hard lines to reduce immigration and for the Government to withdraw from the European Union on human rights. Dubbed “Robert Generic” with a pun when he was first elected to the House of Commons in 2014, he has moved to the right over time. The Newark MP resigned as minister in December last year, claiming that the then bill to revive Rwanda’s deportation policy “did not go far enough”. It is said 5-2 by Ladbrokes, 11-4 with William Hill.
Tom Tugendhat
The shadow defense secretary looks set to face off with James Cleverly to become a midfield contender. Speaking in the Daily Telegraph, the MP for Tonbridge, Kent, said he would be prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if necessary to protect the UK’s borders. He denied that the party would be divided by the contest, because on key issues including the ECHR, gender, taxation, security and zero emissions, all conservatives share the same “common sense” views. He did not succeed before 2022, when he showed himself as unfazed by the scandals facing Johnson and his government. Having first entered Parliament in 2015, Tugendhat chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee for five years and previously served in the military. His odds are 4-1 with William Hill, 5-1 at Ladbrokes.
James Cleverly
The shadow home secretary is the first Conservative to publicly announce a decision to succeed Rishi Sunak. He said he could “unite the Conservative Party” and “make a big switch of interest to Keir Starmer”. The party needs to expand its support base and shake off the perception that it is more focused on fighting than serving the public, he argued.
Wisely, a centrist, he apparently got his party right when he warned against “sacrificing national authoritarianism on the altar of ideological purity.” In a video on social media, he showed his credentials as both Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary, as well as serving as party leader when the Conservatives won a landslide victory in 2019.
Cleverly was first elected Conservative MP for Braintree, Essex, in May 2015. After an injury cut his military career short, he gained a degree in Business and joined the Territorial Army. He worked in a magazine and digital publishing company before starting his own business. He was a member of the London Assembly before becoming an MP. Cleverly is given at 9-2 by William Hill and 6-1 by Ladbrokes.
Come on Patel
Patel is a long-time Eurosceptic who says he was inspired to join the Conservative Party by the example of Margaret Thatcher. He became an MP in 2010 and has held cabinet positions under Theresa May and Boris Johnson, as international development secretary and home secretary respectively. Patel was a leading figure in the Leave campaign and, as Home Secretary, launched a point-based immigration system, signed an agreement with Rwanda to send asylum seekers to the African country and signed return agreements with Albania and Serbia. He resigned as Home Secretary after Liz Truss became Conservative leader. He said he could provide the “experienced and strong” leadership needed to unite the Conservatives’ various factions. Launching his leadership committee with an article in the Telegraph, he said he would use the “massive talent… of Conservative members” to “solve the big challenges to which Labour, the Lib Dems and the reforms have no answers”. Patel’s odds with both William Hill and Ladbrokes are 8-1.
Mel Stride
Shadow Labor and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride is one of Rishi Sunak’s closest friends and his frequent media appearances keep him focused on the Conservative campaign in preparation for the election disaster. The Central Devon MP believes he is the right person to “unite the party”. He said: “We have seriously lost the trust of the British people and we have lost our reputation for competence, and I believe we are in a very good position to deal with these issues in the future.” But bookmakers disagree: Stride is quoted at 20-1 William Hill and 28-1 Ladbrokes.
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