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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Robert Jenrick is the third Tory MP to announce his bid to become the next leader of the 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 and Suella Braverman.
The Conservative Party will 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.
Tories accused of ‘dropping ball’ in key policy areas
The future Tory leader is set for a fierce fight against Labour to clean the Tories’ record after Sir Keir Starmer accused the opposition of “dropping the ball” on various issues.
Speaking from Runcorn, the prime minister said the “hard graft of rebuilding this country has truly started” as he accused the previous government of leaving a “rot of short-sightedness and self-service” for Labour to clear up.
Sir Keir said “every day” his administration is finding “more mess” that the Tories left behind.
“The hard graft of rebuilding this country has well and truly started, and it is vital that we begin immediately because the last government dropped the ball,” he said.
“They left us the worst inheritance since the Second World War, and every day – every day – we’re finding more mess that they’ve left for us to clear up.
“The rot of short-sightedness and self-service that has weakened the foundations of our country.”
Sunak’s ally Mel Stride ‘likely' to announce leadership bid
Shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride, one of Rishi Sunak’s closest allies, has said he is considering running after “a number of colleagues” urged him to stand.
The former cabinet minis previously said he is considering running for the Conservative Party leadership after “a number of colleagues” urged him to stand.
The shadow work and pensions secretary, one of Rishi Sunak’s closest allies, said launching a leadership bid is “certainly a possibility”.
The Central Devon MP is viewed as a safe pair of hands within the party and was frequently sent out to tour broadcast studios to defend Mr Sunak’s leadership during the disastrous General Election campaign.
First elected to Parliament in 2010, he hung on to his seat by just 61 votes.
He is seen as on the more moderate wing of the party.
Ladbrokes has Mr Stride at 28/1 for the leadership, while he is at 31/1 with Betfair Exchange.
Kemi Badenoch’s Tory leadership website on maintenance mode
Kemi Badenoch’s Tory leadership website is undergoing maintenance which could mean she is preparing to announce her bid.
The combative former business secretary, who has been involved in a number of high-profile clashes, is seen as a strong contender. She had a good run when she competed for the leadership in 2022.
The former Equalities Minister, known for her “anti-woke” approach, was tipped to become the new “Margaret Thatcher” before she became fourth in the final ballot behind Penny Mordaunt, Mr Sunak and Liz Truss.
She was also favorite to become the next leader with the support of 25.83% of grassroots Tories, according to a poll.
Priti Patel ‘feared the most’ by Farage to become next Tory leader
Priti Patel is a longstanding Eurosceptic who has said she was inspired to join the Conservative Party by Margaret Thatcher.
Nigel Farage previously said he fears Dame Patel the most out of possible candidates to replace Rishi Sunak.
She became an MP in 2010 and served in Cabinet positions under Theresa May and Boris Johnson, as international development secretary and home secretary respectively.
Dame Priti was a leading figure in the Vote Leave campaign, and as home secretary launched a points-based immigration system, signed the agreement with Rwanda to send asylum seekers to the country, and sealed returns deals with Albania and Serbia.
She resigned as home secretary after Liz Truss became Tory leader.
A prominent figure on the right, Dame Priti’s odds with Ladbrokes are 6/1, while Betfair Exchange has her at 11/1.
Watch: Moment James Cleverly announces running for Conservative party leadership
How will the next Tory leader be chosen?
Leadership elections for the Conservative Party usually consist of two stages.
In the first stage Conservative MPs choose two candidates to put forward as potential leaders.
The rules and procedures for the first stage of a leadership election are not in a publicly available document. They are determined by the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee of backbench MPs in consultation with the Conservative Party Board.
When a Conservative leadership contest is held, the chair of the 1922 Committee will announce the rules to be followed and the timetable.
If there are more than two candidates the field is narrowed, usually through a series of ballots, depending on the number of candidates.
If multiple ballots are needed, the candidate with the lowest vote will be eliminated and MPs are re-balloted until only two candidates remain.
In addition, candidates may be eliminated if they fail to meet a pre-declared threshold of votes.
In the unlikely event that only one candidate is nominated they will become leader of the party, but they may be subject to a vote of party members to ratify the result.
Cleverly vows to get Tories ‘back into the habit of winning’
James Cleverly has revealed three reasons why he is standing to be leader of the Conservative Party.
The shadow Home Secretary said he wants to unite the party, hold Labour to account by being an “effective opposition” and get the Tories “back to our winning ways”.
Posting on X, he said:
Who were the candidates on the last Tory leadership contest?
More than half a dozen Tory MPs put themselves forward to lead the Conservative party and become the next prime minister in 2022.
A dozen of candidates put their names forward but only seven were nominated. During the first round, Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi were the two least favoured candidates.
Rishi Sunak topped the ballot with the backing of 88 MPs, while Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt beat Liz Truss for second place with 67 votes to Truss’s 50.
Tom Tugendhat received 37 votes, Kemi Badenoch got the backing of 40 MPs and Suella Braverman received 32.
Tugendhat accused of U-turn on ECHR approach
Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat seems to have changed his mind on leaving the European Convention of Human Rights.
The shadow security minister, who is seen as a more centrist political figure, said he would be ready to leave the convention.
But in 2023, he claimed ditching the ECHR could have consequences for the Good Friday Agreement, Windsor Framework and the devolved nations.
Bob Blackman: Engage in “proper debate, not personal attacks"
Bob Blackman, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, urged MPs and party members to remain respectful through the leaderdship contest.
He said: “I am determined that our party will have a respectful and thorough leadership debate. I believe that this timetable will allow for this.
“While there are significant debates to be had about our party’s future, we must remember that the country – and our members – want to see us engaged in proper debate, not personal attacks.
“I am confident that this process will allow for this.”
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