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Suella Braverman’s Tory leadership hopes have suffered an early blow as a key backer reportedly prepares to back Robert Jenrick instead.
Although no-one has formally launched a campaign to replace Rishi Sunak following the disastrous 4 July election result, Ms Braverman is expected to be a front runner. However, the former home secretary’s expected campaign has been described as “dead before it has even started” as right-wing MP Danny Kruger is said to support Mr Jenrick.
In an indication of how long the contest could drag on, former business secretary Kevin Hollinrake said on Monday a leadership race could last until the end of the year, adding that “I don’t think there is any rush”.
He told the BBC: “In the next few months we need to reflect very carefully on [our loss], I think it will be some time before the end of the year before we put a new leader in place, I don’t think there is any rush.
“I think we need a proper discussion and debate about how the new leader can move towards low migration, lower taxation and tackling some of the political and cultural ideology we are seeing in our society.
“I think if we do all those things, we can present that very cogent challenge to Labour in 2029.”
It came as multiple reports suggested Mr Kruger would support Mr Jenrick, a damaging blow for Ms Braverman’s hopes of being the flagbearer of the Tory right.
A source told The Times the party’s right wing want “someone with the “policies of Nigel Farage [but] with the presentational skills of David Cameron”. Another said her campaign was “dead before it even started”, accusing Ms Braverman of “going too hard, too soon”.
She had sparked anger on the eve of the general election penning an opinion piece declaring the race over, and urging the Tories to prepare for opposition.
A senior Tory responded to the article by telling The Independent it was a “last throw of the dice” for Ms Braverman, seeking to burnish her diminishing leadership credentials.
The former home secretary was one of three potential leadership candidates to do the Sunday morning political shows, along with Mr Jenrick and ex-health secretary Victoria Atkins in an attempt to start diagnosing what went wrong.
It followed the Tories winning a mere 121 seats, their worst result in the party’s 190-year history, as millions of their voters switched to Mr Farage’s Reform UK. Mr Sunak has announced he will quit, overseeing the transition as leader of the opposition until a leadership election takes place.
Ms Braverman told GB News: “There is no urgency to elect a new leader. What is urgent and absolutely essential now is that we as a party reflect on what got us into this existentially damaging situation.”
Mr Jenrick meanwhile told the BBC immigration was at the heart of the Tory defeat, pointing to a surge in support for Reform in most constituencies the Conservatives lost.
He added: “And we didn’t have the willingness to take the tough decisions that were necessary to deliver for the British public; when we said, for example, on immigration that we would do whatever it takes, we didn’t do whatever it takes.”
Former health secretary Victoria Atkins, who is being championed by the One Nation left of the party, did not rule out standing in the Tory leadership race but said it was not yet time for candidates to launch their campaigns.
“This weekend is not about leadership,” she told the BBC. “The absolute focus at the moment, and the reason I came on today, was genuinely not to talk about leadership because this is not the moment for this.
“We need to show the public that we understand they have sent us some very, very loud messages, that we are listening, that we are reflecting and then we as a party need to get together and unite and work out what we want for the future.”
