Tory MPs pivot to the right as centrist Cleverly knocked out of leadership race

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Conservative Members of Parliament shocked Westminster by shifting their focus to the right and dropping centrist candidate James Cleverly from the contest to replace Rishi Sunak.

In a surprising turn of events, the ex-home secretary was eliminated from the race on Wednesday afternoon. This outcome means that Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, both supported by the party's right wing, will now go on to compete for the membership vote.

It seems that Tory MPs have figured out that shifting further to the right might help them regain support from voters who have turned to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, as well as attract those who have been staying home during elections. Typically, elections are won by appealing to the middle ground, but it looks like more people who used to support the Tories have switched to Reform than have moved to Labour and the Liberal Democrats combined.

This meant that Keir Starmer secured a significant majority even though he received fewer votes than Jeremy Corbyn did when he faced a crushing defeat against Boris Johnson in 2019.

The outcome was unexpected, as Mr. Cleverly, who was favored by the bookmakers to win the race, jumped into the lead during Tuesday's voting after gaining the backing of 39 MPs.

A lot of observers anticipated that he would face off against one of his more conservative opponents in the final showdown.

During the voting session on Wednesday, he received two fewer votes from MPs, bringing his total to 37. Meanwhile, Ms. Badenoch garnered 42 votes, and Mr. Jenrick followed closely with 41 votes.

This has sparked accusations of vote trading and raised the possibility that the Cleverly team may have misjudged their level of support. They reportedly urged MPs to support Jenrick under the impression that he would be a more manageable opponent in the final two rounds of voting with the members.

Mr. Cleverly dropped out of the race just a day after Tom Tugendhat, another centrist candidate from One Nation and a previous security minister who was popular among the One Nation group of Tory MPs, was eliminated with only 20 votes supporting him.

The ex-home secretary's departure comes even after he seemed to gain support from both MPs and party members during their yearly conference in Birmingham. His speech on the main stage garnered the most positive reaction among the four candidates.

At the same time, Ms. Badenoch's advancement to the final two positions occurs despite a few setbacks during the conference, including her blunders regarding maternity pay and her comment that some civil servants "ought to be in prison."

The last two MPs will now participate in an online vote among Conservative members, running from October 10 to October 31. The winner will be revealed on November 2.

Following the announcement of Wednesday’s results, Mr. Cleverly voiced his gratitude for the backing he received during the campaign. He urged the party to come together to challenge the "disastrous Labour government."

Just minutes after the results were announced, Mr. Jenrick, who has recently intensified his comments on migration, sought to create distinctions between himself and Ms. Badenoch. A source from his campaign stated that the race has become a decision point between supporting leaving or staying in the ECHR.

Mr. Jenrick previously informed supporters that the party needs to choose between exiting the agreement or facing extinction. He cautioned that staying involved would expose our communities to hazardous criminals roaming our streets.

However, Ms. Badenoch's team has suggested that the comments misinterpret her stance. They clarified that she is open to exiting the ECHR "if needed," but emphasized that this decision would be part of a comprehensive strategy rather than just a casual pledge made to secure support in a leadership race.

In reaction to the ballot on Wednesday, Ellie Reeves, the chair of the Labour Party, commented that Conservative Party members face the difficult decision of selecting between two individuals responsible for the party's past shortcomings.

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick play key roles in a decade and a half of unsuccessful leadership and setbacks. They have shown that they haven't gained any insights from the errors that led the Conservative Party to its most significant loss in recent times.

"Amidst the ongoing disputes, Labour is working to rebuild the groundwork and address the chaos left by these two rather unremarkable individuals," she stated.

Following the outcome, Mr. Jenrick's campaign issued a challenge to Ms. Badenoch, urging her to participate in a series of debates for the rest of the campaign, with the first one set to take place next week.

A source from Jenrick's campaign stated that he is open to discussing issues at any time, in any location, and under any circumstances.

According to the source, the members will have to decide whether to support a candidate who has a solid strategy and well-thought-out policies aimed at addressing the three major concerns affecting four groups of voters: those from Reform, Labour, Lib Dem, and Conservative backgrounds. These key issues are the NHS, the economy, and immigration.

"Or running the risk of getting caught up in an endless cycle of debates, online arguments, and various distractions."