This evening Tory MPs filed into parliament’s Committee Room 14 to hear from the six hopefuls aspiring to lead their party. Each candidate had up to ten minutes to make a final pitch to colleagues, followed by questions. Robert Jenrick went first, followed by Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Mel Stride, Priti Patel and, finally, James Cleverly.
‘Tired’ is how one describes his performance
Jenrick has spent the summer campaigning heavily on migration and the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights), so opted to focus much of his speech about the economy and public services: ‘Making the NHS work for our constituents’ was a theme in his remarks. Three of the four questions he faced came from his declared backers (Jack Rankin, John Hayes and Andrew Rosindell). Some in the room read this as a sign of weakness; others supporting him suggest that few MPs were actually willing to raise queries face-to-face. Rankin asked about young people, Hayes focused on the ECHR and Rosindell raised foreign policy: all three directed their questions to the bulk of tonight’s speakers.
Next came Kemi Badenoch: believed by many to be Jenrick’s chief rival on the right. Her pitch gave little ground on what she said at her launch, to the disappointment of some. She faced questions on the ECHR and immigration from Julian Lewis and Edward Leigh, with Hayes asking about her objective as to the court in Strasbourg. The ‘objective’, Badenoch insisted, was to not to leave ECHR but rather to cut immigration – a retort that went down well with her backers. ‘Attempted ambush’ is how one MP describes it, ‘but the crowd banged tables in response to (her) answers.’ Badenoch pointed to the Indian trade deal as an example of where she tried to curb migration increases by being unwilling to give further visa concessions.
Tom Tugendhat was next, arriving with the largest retinue of aides. He gave a speech that went down well according to various attendees. ‘Commanding’ says one who plans to vote for him; ‘very fluent’ says one who who will not. Having gave his own leadership speech just six hours ago, he delivered a truncated version of that appeal, speaking about trust, character and making this a one-term Labour government. For him, the question ought to be not about picking a Leader of the Opposition but rather a potential prime minister: something his supporters believes plays to his strengths.
Then came Mel Stride. He is widely expected among Tory MPs to be eliminated before the final four and thus faced a room full of colleagues doubtful of his chances. ‘Tired’ is how one describes his performance – unsurprising perhaps, given he lacks a team the size of others. One MP who won’t be voting for him nevertheless praised his ideas on how to change the public’s perception of the Conservatives. ‘Intense’ is the word they used.
Priti Patel followed, flanked by John Whittingdale, Margaret Thatcher’s former secretary. Her address focused heavily on party reform and overhauling the CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) machine: no surprise given her efforts these past eight weeks. She told MPs that July’s defeat did not represent a failure of conservatism but rather a failure of the Conservatives. That, she said, is why ‘we need to get our act together’ and ‘earn back trust’ from the public. Like others, she faced what one of her supporters calls a ‘hijack’ on the ECHR – though her answers were well-prepared.
It was left to James Cleverly to wind things up. His speech largely drew on his leadership launch yesterday, with references to Ronald Reagan and making a renewed case for conservatism. As one of the more polished speakers, he drew loud laughs at points, with an MP backing a rival candidate praising him as a ‘great communicator’ and noted he’s ‘always been a great party chairman.’ He faced a tricky question at the end from Leigh who suggested that Cleverly’s Rwanda Bill ‘was so weak that we had to call an early election’ as the government knew flights would never take off.
With less than half the parliamentary party publicly declared, it was striking to see how so many of the actual attendees tonight have nailed their colours to the mast one way or another. Asked on his way into the room who he was supporting, one former cabinet minister replied: ‘I take the old-fashioned view that I’m going to listen to the candidates first.’ Judging by most attendees tonight, it seems to be an unfashionable one too.
Listen to more on Coffee House Shots:
Comments