Tom Tugendhat and Robert Jenrick join Tory leadership race as James Cleverly leads with MP endorsements - live
Three Tories have thrown their hats in the ring as the three-month leadership contest to replace Rishi Sunak begins
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Your support makes all the difference.Robert Jenrick is the third Tory MP to announce his bid to become the next leader of theĀ Conservative party after Tom Tugendhat submitted his papers.
The two contenders will challenge James Cleverly and other MPs hoping to replace the outgoing Rishi Sunak after the election defeat.
Mr Tugendhat, seen as a candidate from the moderate wing of the party, indicated he would be prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if needed to regain control of UK borders.
Shadow home secretary Mr Cleverly is currently leading the leadership race with three endorsements from Tory MPs, including Gagan Mohindra, Peter Fortune and Simon Hoare.
Kemi Badenoch could be throwing her hat in the ring soon after her leadership website was spotted under maintenance.
Other former cabinet ministers expected to announce their bids include Priti Patel, Mel Stride andĀ Suella Braverman.
The Conservative Party willĀ appoint a new leader on 2 November and contenders have until Monday to win the support of the 10 MPs they need to make it onto the ballot paper.
Braverman tells Tories to reject āwoke nonsenseā ahead of leadership race
Suella Braverman said theĀ ToriesĀ must reject ādivisive identity politics and woke nonsenseā in order to win back Reform voters.
Former home secretary Ms Braverman, who is widely expected to launch a bid to lead the party from the right, used a slot guest-hosting a radio programme to argue that āwe had quite a centrist Conservative agendaā and that āidentity politics got out of controlā under Mr Sunak.
āWe need to be a party thatās firm and credible on immigration,ā she told LBC listeners.
āWe need to give some hope to the British people on taxation, robust on security and defence, and a real champion for common-sense British values. None of this divisive identity politics and woke nonsense. It really frustrates me that that has happened on our watch.ā
Home Secretary suggests Tories need to be ābats**t crazyā to run for leader
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the Tory leadership contest is like āa cross between Love Island and the jungleā as she attacked her shadow counterpart James Cleverly.
She told MPs: āThe shadow home secretary, I think, has actually spent his entire speech not actually talking about any of the real challenges the country faces, but simply playing to the backbenches of the Conservative Party with a fantasy leadership application speech.
āAnd what is it about these former home secretaries and former home office ministers? You know, of the last seven home office ministers in cabinet, six of them are apparently running.ā
She added:Ā āSo, if they are now lining up to do to the Tory Party what theyāve already done to the Home Office and the country, well, frankly, they deserve each other.
āEvery one of them championed that policy on Rwanda, that the shadow home secretary, to be fair to him, did notoriously describe as batshit crazy, well, maybe thatās what you need to stand to be the Tory leader right now.ā
Ms Cooper went on to say: āWeāve heard today this contest is going to run until November. Weāve got five months of this. Weāve hardly got any Tory MPs here because theyāre all off doing their little chats and meetings. Itās like a cross between Love Island and the jungle.ā
She added: āSomebodyās had a nervous breakdown and that is probably all of their backbenchers dreading getting a little text saying another candidate is wanting a chat and you can just see it, look at them on there, all of them really saying āIām a Tory MP, get me out of hereā.ā
Robert Jenrick: Former immigration minister who quit Sunakās cabinet
A one-time close ally of Mr Sunak he has also stridently attacked his old friendās immigration plans in recent months. However, some Tory MPs, on both wings of the party, are wary of his apparent change of heart on the issue.
He was forced to deny he was starting his race when he wrote an opinion piece saying the Conservatives are the ānatural home for Reform votersā and that former prime minister Mr Johnson āmust always have a placeā in the Tories, including in Parliament, should he wish to have one.
Odds: 8/1
Preeti Patel: Former home secretary and Boris Johnson loyalist
The former home secretary is seen as someone who can unite the right of the party and its more moderate āOne Nationā members. She is also popular with grassroots Tories and has avoided alienating other MPs, unlikeĀ Suella Braverman.
Under the current rules, the partyās remaining rump of MPs get to decide which of the eventual leadership candidates will make it to the final two. At that stage more than 100,000 local party members then make their choice and crown the winner.
Ms Patel is also a Boris Johnson loyalist, who was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in his resignation honours.
Odds: 13/2
Two top Tories back Tom Tugendhat for party leadership
Two top Tories back Tom Tugendhat for party leadership
Damian Green and Steve Baker, who are from different wings of the party, have endorsed former minister
Rishi Sunak to stay on as acting leader until 2 November
Mr Sunak will stay acting leader until a successor is appointed.
He said: āItās in the national interest for us to have a smooth and orderly transition to a new Leader of the Opposition so I will stay in post until November 2, and the result of our leadership election.
āThis will allow our party to fulfil its role as the official opposition professionally and effectively. I believe this is what is best for the Conservative Party and, most importantly, our country.
āIt would be inappropriate for me to make any comment about the leadership campaign or candidates. I am confident that this timetable decided by the party board and the 1922 Committee will allow for a thoughtful, professional and respectful contest.ā
Cleverly warns Tories against factional fighting ahead of leadership race
Cleverly warns Tories against factional fighting ahead of leadership race
Nominations for the partyās leadership open on Wednesday.
Robert Jenrick emerges as frontrunner in new poll
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been chosen as the favourite amongst among party members, according to a new poll.
Mr Jenrick, who quit Rishi Sunakās Cabinet over the Rwanda Bill, emerged ahead of Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Dame Priti Patel and Suella Braverman.
Conservative members were asked in a poll by The Telegraph to rank their top four choices for next leader from a list of candidates who have signalled they will run.
Some 55 per cent of members listed Mr Jenrick as one of their top choices for next leader.
Conduct Tory leadership bid āwith civilityā, Lord Houchen urges Braverman
Conduct Tory leadership bid āwith civilityā, Lord Houchen urges Braverman
It came after the former home secretary said the party could do better than being āa collection of fanatical, irrelevant, centrist cranksā
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