Tugendhat joins Cleverly in Tory leadership race as more rivals expected to run

The Tory leadership contest is likely to heat up with more contenders expected to join Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly in the race.

Shadow security minister Mr Tugendhat launched his campaign by indicating he would be prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if it was necessary to secure the UK’s borders.

The battle for the future of the Conservative Party officially began on Wednesday night with the opening of nominations in the contest to replace Rishi Sunak following the Tories’ worst general election result.

A long and potentially divisive campaign will eventually produce a winner on November 2.

We know that if institutions do not serve the British people and make it harder to control our own borders, then we will have to exempt ourselves from them, or leave their jurisdiction

But Mr Tugendhat, who is viewed as a moderate within the Conservative ranks, insisted there was little to separate him from his rivals on the right on key issues.

Launching his leadership campaign in the Telegraph he denied the party would be split by the contest, because on key issues including the ECHR, gender, taxes, defence and net zero all Tories shared the same “common sense” views.

“We know that if institutions do not serve the British people and make it harder to control our own borders, then we will have to exempt ourselves from them, or leave their jurisdiction.

“We know what a woman is. We all want lower taxes. We all know national security must come before Treasury spreadsheets. We all know that energy security and household bills come first.

“These are common sense Conservative positions. They are non-negotiable for me and, I would hope, for anyone else who puts themselves forward.”

The Telegraph said Mr Tugendhat wants to see reform of the ECHR and could back withdrawing from certain aspects where it is necessary, to remove illegal migrants.

Shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch , the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Mr Sunak, has previously said the option of leaving the ECHR is “definitely something that needs to be on the table”, while former home secretary Suella Braverman and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick have argued for the UK to leave the convention.

All three are expected to launch their own leadership campaigns, as are former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride and ex-home secretary Dame Priti Patel.

The Conservatives were reduced to just 121 seats as Mr Sunak’s premiership ended in electoral disaster.

But Mr Tugendhat said: “I am not just running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. I am running to be the next Conservative prime minister.

“That is what this leadership election is all about: winning. We can’t serve the British people if we don’t win the next general election.

“We can win it. We must win it. I can lead the party to that victory.”

Former home secretary Mr Cleverly said the party’s MPs “have to get out of that habit” of “rowing amongst ourselves”, which he said gave the British people the wrong impression that there were more interested in themselves than serving the public.

He said the Conservative Party needs to “expand our base of support” but when asked about a recent poll suggesting around half of Tory members are in favour of joining forces with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, he said the party “doesn’t do mergers”.

According to polling by Savanta carried out between July 19 and 21, Mr Tugendhat is the most popular potential contender among both the public, at minus three points, and 2024 Conservative voters, at 21 points.

Dame Priti is the least popular, at minus 28 points and seven points respectively, according to the research.

Mr Cleverly is second in the running, Savanta’s findings suggest, at minus nine points with the public and 19 points among 2024 Conservative voters.

Nominations will close at 2.30pm on Monday and contenders need a proposer, seconder and eight other backers to stand.

The parliamentary party will then narrow the field down to four, who will make their case at the Conservative Party Conference, which runs from September 29 to October 2.

The final two, picked by the parliamentary party, will then go to a vote of Conservative Party members in an online ballot that will close on October 31 with the result announced on November 2.

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said the likely runners and riders were “a collection of failed ministers” and “it’s like a group of arsonists asking for a new box of matches”.