Tory members back James Cleverly as leader but Tom Tugendhat is public’s favourite, poll claims

Conservative MPs will narrow down the number of candidates to just two before the contest goes to a vote among Tory members

James Cleverly has emerged as the favourite to take over as Tory leader among party members, the first major poll of the contest has shown, while Tom Tugendhat appears to be the most popular among the wider public.

In the first poll of Conservative Party members since the race began at the end of July, 26 per cent put the shadow home secretary as their first choice. Following behind in second place was Priti Patel, with 20 per cent saying she was their top choice.

The Techne poll, conducted between August 2 and 12, put Kemi Badenoch in third place at 14 per cent support, Mr Tugendhat in fourth with 11 per cent backing and Robert Jenrick in fifth on 10 per cent.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

In sixth place was Mel Stride, with just four per cent of members listing him as their top choice. The survey, commissioned by Mr Cleverly’s campaign, spoke to 805 party members.

Crucially for the shadow home secretary, the polling indicated that he would beat each of his competitors in a head-to-head against the other candidates.

Conservative MPs will narrow down the number of candidates to just two in a series of votes in September and October, before the contest goes to a vote among Tory members to decide a winner by November 2.

The closest head-to-head was between Mr Cleverly and Ms Patel, with the former winning by 45-39 per cent when party members were asked who they preferred between the two.  The remainder said they were undecided or would not vote in a contest between the pair.

Mr Cleverly beat Mr Jenrick by 49-28, while he beat Ms Badenoch by 51-28. He won against Mr Tugendhat by 54-23 and Mr Stride by 59-15.

Among the wider public, however, Mr Tugendhat appears to be the most popular candidate, with separate polling conducted by YouGov for The Times showing he has the highest net favourability rating.

Conservative MPs will narrow down the number of candidates to just two before the contest goes to a vote among Tory members (PA Media)

He was given a net favourability score of -12 when voters were asked how they felt about politicians ranging from “very favourable” to “very unfav­ourable”, making him the only leadership contender with a higher rating than Sir Keir Starmer – who had a rating of -14.

The polling, conducted between August 13 and 14, saw Mr Stride receive a net favourability rating of -15, followed by Mr Jenrick on -19, Mr Cleverly and Mr Badenoch on -22 and Ms Patel on -52.

Mr Jenrick, who came in fifth in the latest Techne polling, was previously seen as a frontrunner to win the race – with a survey of party members just before the race began putting him as the top choice.

Polling conducted by Techne in late July, which spoke to 1,002 party members, saw 55 per cent put him as their top choice. Following closely behind with 52 per cent backing was both Mr Tugendhat and Ms Badenoch.

Mr Jenrick faced widespread condemnation after saying people shouting “Allahu Akbar” on London streets “should be arrested immediately” in the wake of the riots which swept Britain – something which may have contributed to him slipping back in the polls.