Support truly
independent journalism
The Conservatives’ latest leadership contest is underway after Rishi Sunak led the party to its worst election defeat in history.
A string of senior figures have thrown their hats in the ring to succeed the former PM and lead the party through the next five years in opposition.
Robert Jenrick has emerged as the frontrunner among to take leadership of the party as former home secretary Dame Priti Patel was eliminated from the contest.
Former immigration minister Mr Jenrick picked up 28 votes in the first ballot of MPs, with bookmakers’ favourite Kemi Badenoch in second place on 22.
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly was one vote behind on 21, shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat on 17 and shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride on 16.
Dame Priti picked up just 14 votes and so was knocked out at the first stage of the race to replace Rishi Sunak.
The shortlist will be whittled down gradually until a final four are paraded in front of the party faithful at October’s Tory conference.
The Independent looks at the runners and riders to take the reins from Mr Sunak.
Who has officially declared?
James Cleverly
James Cleverly became the first contender to formally launch a leadership bid, promising to unite the warring party weeks after Mr Sunak’s historic defeat.
A former home secretary, he promised to “overturn Starmer’s loveless landslide” and “restore the confidence of the British people in us as a party”. Mr Cleverly’s appeal comes from having served as home and foreign secretary, two of the UK’s great offices of state. He is also seen as more moderate than candidates such as Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, while still taking a hard-line approach to legal and illegal migration.
He received 21 votes in the first ballot of MPs.
Odds: 5/1
Tom Tugendhat
One of the great hopes of the One Nation Conservatives, security minister Tom Tugendhat also flew out of the traps to launch his leadership bid just a day after Mr Cleverly.
Mr Tugendhat stood unsuccessfully for the leadership two years ago, placing fifth in the contest which saw Liz Truss take over as prime minister.
He is considered to have grown in stature since then and has had a job in cabinet that he can use to argue he is a serious leader who can take his party through difficult times.
After formally entering the race, he highlighted his track record of delivery, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, enjoyed a stint as security minister and “stood up to dictators in parliament”.
Shadow security minister Mr Tugendhat received 17 votes in the first ballot of MPs.
Odds: 15/2
Robert Jenrick
A one-time close ally of Mr Sunak, he also turned on the former PM over issues such as immigration and housebuilding in the dying days of his premiership.
Some Tory MPs, on both wings of the party, are wary of his apparent change of heart on the issue. But he is seen as someone with the politics to win back right-wing voters lost to Reform UK, with the personality of David Cameron to help the Tories win back those who voted for the Liberal Democrats in the blue wall.
Mr Jenrick’s campaign manager, Danny Kruger, said the former immigration minister has the “energy, temperament and policy agenda to take on our rivals and lead us back to power in 5 years”.
Jenrick has emerged as the frontrunner among Tory MPs after picking up 28 votes in the first ballot.
Odds: 5/4
Mel Stride
Mel Stride is a surprise entrant to the Tory leadership election, with the staunch Sunak ally painting himself as a One Nation figure to unite the MPs that remain.
The former work and pensions secretary became a key figurehead for Mr Sunak’s failed election campaign, regularly appearing on the airwaves to advocate for the Conservative Party.
Mr Stride said the Tory party had “substantially lost the trust of the British people” as well as its “reputation for competence”.
He received 16 votes in the first ballot of MPs.
Odds: 40/1
Kemi Badenoch
The combative former business secretary, who has been involved in a number of high-profile clashes, has previously been seen as a front-runner. She had a good run when she competed for the leadership in 2022.
A one-time darling of the Conservative right, she was seen to have blotted her copybook when she canned a pledged bonfire of EU red tape.
She officially launched her campaign the night before nominations opened, calling for the contest to be a debate about “what it means to be a Conservative”. Diagnosing the Tory election defeat, she added that “we deserved to lose because the past decade saw us twist and turn in the wind, unsure of who we were”.
Ms Badenoch came in second place in the first ballot of MPs with 22 votes.
Odds: 13/8
Who has dropped out or been eliminated?
Suella Braverman
Suella Braverman has dropped out of the race before the nominations deadline, despite claiming she had the number of MPs required.
The former home secretary’s bid for the leadership was plagued by early setbacks as key backers from the Tory right fell in behind her rival Mr Jenrick. Key figures such as Danny Kruger and her longtime mentor Sir John Hayes were to support the former immigration minister over Ms Braverman, all but ending her hopes of commanding enough support from the party to win.
Ms Braverman caused a shock when she dramatically resigned from Mr Sunak’s cabinet. At the time, she warned him that his Rwanda deportation plan would fail and that he was leading the party into electoral oblivion.
Her more extreme attacks on her own party are seen as helping the chances of her opponents, including Ms Patel.
But, dropping out before nominations opened, Ms Braverman said she had the required support to run but that the “Tory Party does not want to hear the truths I’ve set out”.
Priti Patel
Dame Priti Patel promised a revolution in the Conservative Party by offering to hand back some control of policy to ordinary party members and allow them to elect key officials. She officially entered the race over the weekend.
She picked up just 14 votes and so was knocked out at the first stage of the race to replace Rishi Sunak.
Responding to her loss in the ballot, she paid tribute to Tory members, councillors and association officers she met during her campaign as “the heart and soul of our party”, and insisted the Conservatives must grow their membership and reach a younger voter base.
She also called on fellow Tories to “unite around our Conservative values”.
