Tory leadership race: James Cleverly knocked out - leaving Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch in final two

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch are set to compete for the position of the next leader of the Conservative Party, following James Cleverly's withdrawal from the contest.

On Wednesday, Tory MPs cast their last votes to narrow the candidates down to two, who will then be put to a vote among Conservative members.

After securing 42 votes in the final voting round, Ms. Badenoch regained her position as the front-runner, having previously fallen behind in earlier rounds.

Robert Jenrick, her main competitor on the right, received just one vote less than Ms. Badenoch, while Mr. Cleverly, who was viewed as a candidate capable of bringing people together, garnered support from 37 MPs.

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The choice of Ms. Badenoch and Mr. Jenrick signals that the Conservative Party is shifting further to the right, with a strong focus on immigration issues and the UK's involvement in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) taking center stage.

Mr. Jenrick mentioned that he was "thrilled to receive such strong backing from his fellow parliament members today."

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He shared with Sophy Ridge from Sky News that he thinks his message about improving the NHS, boosting the economy, and lowering immigration has resonated with Members of Parliament.

"I have a solid strategy for each of these aspects," he stated.

"I don't deal in empty slogans. I have a strategy for delivering strong, capable leadership for our party and, in the long run, for our nation."

This competition could turn uncomfortable in no time.

The race for Conservative leadership has shifted from a struggle over the party's future direction.

Choosing Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick has shifted the focus from a debate about the party's future direction to a discussion centered on two distinct paths the Conservative Party could take within the right side of British politics.

The removal of James Cleverly, who seemed to be the leading candidate just a day ago, came as a surprise to the party. It’s still unclear if his loss was due to a miscalculation regarding vote-sharing strategies.

Although people spotted Cleverly on the terrace and later at the Boris Johnson book launch, during that time the other campaign was busy making calls to solidify their support.

It's still uncertain who will come out on top between Ms. Badenoch and Mr. Jenrick as they head into the final round and await the decision of 170,000 Conservative members. Nonetheless, it seems that Ms. Badenoch currently has the upper hand.

The latest YouGov poll for Sky News indicates that she is leading her opponent by four percentage points in a direct matchup. While this gap is only slightly greater than the margin of error, it was conducted prior to her successful conference speech.

In the last round of voting, she unexpectedly took the lead among members of Parliament, despite earlier ideas that they might attempt to exclude her from the ballot. This puts to rest the notion that many MPs are concerned her frequent controversial and unpredictable remarks would prevent her from securing the top position.

Mr. Jenrick will likely aim to shift the focus of this race toward immigration issues.

Team Jenrick claims that he intends to exit the ECHR while she is in favor of staying, and his adversary shares his desire to leave. In contrast, Team Badenoch argues that this is an inaccurate portrayal of her stance; she has a more complex viewpoint, stating that she is open to leaving if it's deemed necessary, but only following a thorough evaluation.

However, other distinct boundaries have not yet surfaced. There's a chance that a competition centered on personal traits could turn rather personal and uncomfortable in no time. This is a contest that no one saw coming.

Ms. Badenoch explained that her success in the final voting round was due to "people trusting my method," which begins with fundamental principles before moving on to policy.

Mr. Cleverly's exit from the competition took many by surprise, especially after he gained momentum in the last voting round, bolstered by what many viewed as a solid showing at the Conservative Party conference.

Political journalist Alix Culbertson, present when the result was revealed, noted that there was a palpable sense of shock in the room when it was confirmed that the former home secretary would not make it to the final two candidates.

After the outcome, Mr. Cleverly shared on X: "I appreciate all the backing I've gotten during this campaign from my colleagues, party members, and everyone in the community."

This followed the elimination of Tom Tugendhat, the ex-security minister representing the party's centrist faction, who was dropped from the race on Tuesday after receiving the fewest votes from MPs.

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This outcome represents a resurgence for Ms. Badenoch. She began the race as the frontrunner, but was subsequently challenged by Mr. Jenrick, who surpassed her in the first, second, and third rounds of voting by the MPs.

Both candidates encountered backlash for remarks they delivered during the party conference.

Mr. Jenrick argued that the SAS had to resort to killing terrorists instead of capturing them because the "European Court will release them," a point that several of his colleagues challenged.

Former business secretary Ms. Badenoch had to retract her statements regarding "excessive" maternity pay and the idea of civil servants facing imprisonment.

The issue of Britain's participation in the ECHR is expected to be a key topic in discussions between the two leading candidates. Mr. Jenrick, who has already invited his opponent to a debate, is pushing for the UK to withdraw from the convention.

Ms. Badenoch believes that a reassessment of the ECHR is needed and is open to the option of withdrawing from it if required.

When asked if the competition might turn "rough" and if he could promise a "fair fight," Mr. Jenrick responded to Sophy Ridge: "That's how I've been approaching this campaign for the past three months."

"I'm someone with a college background, but I also want to take the lead within this party," he stated. "We must lean more towards Conservative values. It's important for us to reclaim that shared space in British politics."

Regarding the ECHR, Ms. Badenoch mentioned that concentrating exclusively on it in the discussion would be a misstep.

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"In my speech at the conference and during the launch of my campaign, I emphasized the importance of discussing all topics," she shared with reporters at Westminster.

"We can't focus solely on one aspect of immigration policy. While reducing immigration is certainly a part of the discussion, fixating only on the ECHR will limit the broader conversation we need to engage in with the whole country."

Voting for party membership will end at 5 PM on Thursday, October 31. The announcement of the winner, who will take on the role of party leader and head of the Opposition against the Labour government, is scheduled for Saturday, November 2.