James Cleverly running for Conservative leadership

Ex-Foreign Minister James Cleverly has officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming Conservative Party leadership election.

The Braintree member of parliament, who currently holds the position of shadow home secretary, shared a video on social media to announce his intention to run for office on Tuesday night.

He is the initial Conservative Party member to declare their candidacy for the leadership position, following the announcement of a three-month leadership competition to replace Rishi Sunak by November.

Mr Sunak has announced that he will continue to serve as the interim leader until a new leader is chosen through the election process.

In his campaign video, Mr. Cleverly stated that the Conservatives must regain their image as a party that supports economic growth and helps individuals reach their aspirations and dreams.

"We can only achieve this goal by coming together as a united party and putting the attention on the requirements of the citizens of Britain," he stated.

Mr. Cleverly had previously advised his party not to limit their options as they try to recover from their significant loss in the election on 4th July.

He mentioned that the party needs to be inclusive to attract voters from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum.

The expected contestant for the position of Tory leader, the shadow home secretary, has a history of serving as foreign and home secretary in past Conservative administrations.

Other possible contenders for the position are ex-MP Mel Stride, who mentioned he is "thinking about" running, ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, ex-interior ministers Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel, opposition security minister Tom Tugendhat, and opposition communities secretary Kemi Badenoch.

Candidates running for leadership in the Tory party must have the backing of 10 other MPs by July 29th in order to remain in the race. At this stage, there could be as many as 11 MPs vying for the position.

Members of Parliament will start to reduce the number of candidates through a series of voting rounds when parliament reconvenes in early September. The goal is to narrow it down to four candidates by the end of the Tory conference later that month.

Party members will select a leader from the shortlist by voting in a ballot that will end on October 31st.

Bob Blackman, in his role as the head of the 1922 Committee for backbenchers, will be in charge of choosing the new leader. He stated that he is committed to ensuring that there will be a respectful and comprehensive discussion on leadership within our party.

He continued: "Although there are important discussions to be had about the direction of our party, it is essential to keep in mind that the nation and our supporters prefer to see us participate in constructive discussions rather than resorting to personal insults."