The 1922 Committee has announced the final line-up in the Tory leadership race, after an extremely dramatic morning. The official contenders are as follows:
Stephen Crabb
Liam Fox
Michael Gove
Andrea Leadsom
Theresa May
Conservative contest rules mean that MPs only need two nominees at this stage, and there will be tectonic shifts taking place in the party as supporters of Boris Johnson move, either to Michael Gove or other candidates. It is fair to say after talking to a number of Boris supporters that some of them are currently so white hot with fury at what Gove has done in turning on his colleague at the last minute that there is little chance of them supporting the Justice Secretary’s campaign.
We will be updating the list of who is backing who here.
Here are the pitches of the main contenders as the contest officially gets underway:
Stephen Crabb – running on the ‘blue collar Conservatism’ ticket with Sajid Javid as his prospective Chancellor. Argues that the Tories need a ‘plan for unity and opportunity’, focusing on keeping the United Kingdom together and social justice. Campaigned for Remain.
Liam Fox – Launched his campaign with a focus on the detail of Brexit (including no deal on the single market if it includes the free movement of people) and the importance of aspiration. Campaigned for Leave.
Michael Gove – Has not yet set out the platform he will campaign on, other than the need to make this country ‘stronger and fairer’ and ‘provide unity and change’. Will lay out his plan in the coming days. Campaigned for Leave and, until this morning, for Boris.
Andrea Leadsom – A prominent Leave campaigner who declared her candidacy on Twitter this morning. We await her campaign pitch, but she has previously described her priorities as Babies, Banks and Brussels (early intervention, banking reform, and the European Union).
Theresa May – ‘My pitch is very simple. I’m Theresa May and I think I’m the best person to be Prime Minister of this country’. No general election until 2020, no triggering of Article 50 until the end of the year, no mandate for free movement as it is. Also touched on social justice. Campaigned – sort of – for Remain but said today that ‘Brexit means Brexit’.
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