The new Tory leader must set out a “clear centre right message” for the party after years of infighting, a shadow minister said on Monday as nominations to take over from Rishi Sunak were set to close.
Shadow transport secretary Helen Whately told LBC that the candidates must lay out how the party will “grow the economy and control borders”.
“It is very important that we reflect on what we heard from voters at the election, who clearly were not happy with us in government and so our new leader needs to reflect on that but set out their vision for what they would do as the leader of the party,” she said.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Sunday announced said she would not be running amid speculation that she did she did not have the support from the parliamentary party.
Contenders need the backing of at least 10 Conservative MPs to run as leader before nominations close at 2.30pm on Monday.
Ms Braverman is said to have angered some MPs by stating the party should take a far more right wing approach and suggesting a deal with Nigel Farage’s Reform party.
She said there was “no point” in her running to become leader of the opposition “when most of the MPs disagree” with her.
Ms Whately said: “I wouldn’t have been supporting Suella...I disagree with some of the positions that she took in advance of the election. I also think, one of the things I heard a lot on the doorstep actually, was that people didn’t like us arguing in public and disagreeing. They wanted us to be focused on the job of government and Suella unfortunately was someone who very vocally disagreed with Rishi Sunak when he was prime minister.”
Ex business secretary Ms Badenoch is the bookmakers favourite. She threw her hat in the ring today blaming an “incoherent” set of policies for the party suffering dire general election results.
Writing in The Times, she accused successive Conservative prime ministers of allowing Britain to become “increasingly liberal” and tolerating “nasty identity politics”.
“We talked right yet governed left,” she said.
The parliamentary party will narrow the list down to four candidates, who will make their case to members at the party’s conference in Birmingham in the autumn.
Two final two candidates will then be subject to a vote by Conservative members and the winner announced on November 2.
It comes as former Olympian sprinter Brian Whittle today became the second candidate to declare a run for the Scottish Tory leadership.
The West of Scotland MSP announced his plans to stand to replace Douglas Ross. Writing in the Scotsman he leaned heavily on his sporting background, saying the leadership contest was “when we decide how we pick ourselves up and prepare for the next race”.
His announcement follows fellow MSP Russell Findlay throwing his hat into the ring last week.
Mr Ross announced in the middle of the General Election campaign he would quit after polling day, following backlash over his decision to stand in the stead of former MP David Duguid - who party bosses deemed too ill to run.
