Half of Tory councillors do not believe Jenrick or Badenoch can win next election

Of the final two candidates, Kemi Badenoch is preferred by 31% of Tory councillors and Robert Jenrick by 23%. Photograph: UK Parliament/PA

Almost half of Conservative councillors polled this week believe that neither Robert Jenrick nor Kemi Badenoch will be able to win the next election, and a significant minority said they did not plan to vote in the leadership contest.

Pollsters at Savanta said they detected a small boycott movement among councillors dissatisfied with the choice between the two candidates, who both come from the party’s right.