There have now been four ballots of MPs to decide the next leader. Following the elimination of Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly, two finalists remain. Now Tory members will vote on who they want of Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick to lead their party, with the victor to be announced on 2 November. While MPs won’t have the final say in this last round of voting, endorsements now may inform the next leader’s shadow cabinet. Below is The Spectator’s guide on which of the final two candidates is backed by the 121 Conservative MPs in parliament:
Robert Jenrick (23):
- Danny Kruger – ‘He’s got the competence and the personality and the temperament, also he has got the right policies.’
- Caroline Johnson – ‘Sound Conservative principles and the temperament and attributes to be a great leader.’
- Edward Leigh – ‘Jenrick’s the one.’
- Mark Pritchard
- Jack Rankin
- Sir John Hayes
- Esther McVey
- Gareth Davies – ‘We can end one term of hard Labour and I believe Robert is the best person to achieve this.’
- John Cooper – ‘Robert doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to strengthening the bonds entwining Scotland in the Union, he has walked the walk too.’
- Matt Vickers – ‘He had the clearest diagnosis of why we lost and set out the most compelling vision for how we change, rebuild and win again.’
- John Lamont – ‘Robert’s vision for the party extends well beyond controlling and radically reducing immigration.’
- Chris Chope
- Mark Francois – ‘Best placed to lead that process of both intellectual and organisational revival.’
- Neil O’Brien – ‘The reason I’m supporting Robert Jenrick is because we need to use this leadership election to make a decisive change.’
- Peter Bedford – ‘Robert understands the ‘common ground’: he is the best placed candidate to take us to victory at the next General Election’
- Ed Argar
- Andrew Rosindell – ‘There is no issue more important to communicate than our changed position than immigration – and Robert is the candidate with the credibility to do it.’
- Victoria Atkins – ‘He’s speaking to younger people… Rob has got a really interesting story to tell about younger generations.’
- Bradley Thomas – ‘A conviction politician whose principles are rooted in a common-sense conservatism.’
- Katie Lam – ‘Like me, Robert has a very rural seat so he understands the issues.’
- Lewis Cocking – ‘As a sound conservative he will confront Labour on the issues facing our country.’
- Sir Desmond Swayne
- Nick Timothy – ‘My party needs to be unsparing in its analysis of why we lost and what we must do next. Rob has shown his willingness to do that, so he has my full support.’
Kemi Badenoch (23):
- Alex Burghart
- Julia Lopez
- Andrew Griffith
- Andrew Bowie – ‘I’ve got huge respect for what she achieved in government, and I think she is exactly what the Conservative party needs if we are to renew and take the fight to the Labour party’
- Jesse Norman – ‘The right person to take these challenges on, to draw the best from the past but galvanise fresh energies and set a new direction, is Kemi Badenoch.’
- Ben Obese-Jecty – ‘She has consistently demonstrated the steel required to be a leader.’
- Ben Spencer – ‘A leader who can talk to our values and core beliefs and use them to present the case for Conservative solutions.’
- Gareth Bacon – ‘Kemi embodies core conservative values and principles.’
- Nigel Huddleston – ‘There is a star quality about Kemi.’
- Laura Trott – ‘Like Lady Thatcher, she instinctively understands that the government is the custodian of the public purse.’
- Alan Mak – ‘She’s a problem solver. She’s a team builder. And she’s the bold thinker that our party needs.’
- Chris Philp – ‘I think she has a lot of energy, I think she has a lot of conviction, a lot of integrity but also a lot of courage to take on difficult issues when she needs to.’
- Claire Coutinho
- Kieran Mullan – ‘Kemi knows that the common ground is where we need to be.’
- Helen Whately
- Andrew Snowden – ‘Courage, moral conviction and the mettle needed to take on this fight.’
- James Cartlidge – ‘Kemi combines star quality with moral strength.’
- Kevin Hollinrake – ‘She is blessed with that rare gift in politics: the X-factor’.
- David Davis – ‘Kemi’s speech today was the conference speech of a leader.’
- Helen Grant – ‘I have seen firsthand how Kemi connects with our members.’
- Iain Duncan Smith – Capable of returning the Party to its central values and core beliefs.’
- Bernard Jenkin – ‘[Kemi] has the most potential.’
- Andrew Mitchell – ‘Kemi Badenoch is a fresh and original voice.’
Knocked out…
James Cleverly (15):
- Peter Fortune – ‘A communicator. A unifier. A leader.’
- Simon Hoare
- Gagan Mohindra – ‘Only James can unite our party, hold the government to account, and win the next General Election.’
- Charlie Dewhirst – ‘He is a unifier who can bring every wing of our party together.’
- Ashley Fox – ‘The person most capable of unifying our party and guiding us to election victory.’
- Shivani Raja
- Blake Stephenson – ‘He knows how to get us battle-ready once again.’
- Greg Smith – ‘He’s got a clear vision, is best placed to unite the party and get us back to winning.’
- Alec Shelbrook – ‘Has the skills and experience needed to win back the voters.’
- Mims Davies – ‘James has shown he’s a stand out candidate, with the positivity, reach, experience and charm to be our next leader and our future Prime Minister.’
- George Freeman – ‘We need a leader who can inspire the entire nation. Someone our opponents fear.’
- Mel Stride – ‘We need to be the very best version of ourselves if we are to get back to winning ways.’
- Paul Holmes – ‘He’s the leader we need to take us forward and take the fight to the Liberals, Labour and Reform.’
- Saqib Bhatti – ‘James will reach across the party to build a strong team and get us back to winning.’
- Caroline Dinenage – ‘He has a wealth of experience and the ability to unite us with action, not just words, and restore trust.’
- Joe Robertson – ‘He is a frequent visitor and friend of the Isle of Wight and will help bring people together.’
Tom Tugendhat (9):
- Patrick Spencer – ‘The field is full of talent and ability, but I know Tom can unite the party.’
- Nick Timothy
- Karen Bradley
- Neil Shastri-Hurst – ‘He is a decent and honourable man.’
- James Wild – ‘Has the character and ability to lead a strong team and unite our party to do that based on Conservative principles.’
- Harriet Cross – ‘With Tom at the helm, the Union will always have a champion.’
- David Reed – ‘Tom is the leader the Conservative Party needs and the leader our great country deserves’
- Sarah Bool – ‘Tom is the most popular candidate with the wider public.’
- Alicia Kearns – ‘We don’t just need a safe pair of hands, we need a leader who stands by their convictions.’
Mel Stride (7):
- Mark Garnier – ‘We need a serious, competent leader who has the track record and ability to bring our whole party together.’
- George Freeman – ‘Our next leader needs to be a heavyweight with the experience to unite and set out a coherent program for reform, renewal and economic growth.’
- Desmond Swayne – ‘He has the credibility and respect to: deliver unity, drive change, secure victory.’
- Jerome Mayhew – ‘A leader that can unite the coalition of voters needed for victory.’
- David Reed
- Mims Davies – ‘I’m backing Mel Stride to rebuild trust, drive change and attract younger voters back.’
- Andrew Murrison – ‘I’m backing Mel Stride to rebuild trust and drive real change in our party.’
Priti Patel (5):
- Alec Shelbrooke – ‘Priti has had senior roles, she’s respected on all wings of the party.’
- Greg Smith
- Andrew Snowden
- Saqib Bhatti – ‘While she was campaigning for her own seat, she was also helping colleagues up and down the country.’
- Wendy Morton – ‘Priti has served at almost every level of the party in the past three decades, she gets this, and she will deliver.’
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