What's happened
Following the first round of voting, five candidates remain in the Conservative leadership race to replace Rishi Sunak. Robert Jenrick leads with 33 votes, followed by Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, and Tom Tugendhat. The next round will reduce the field to two candidates, with the winner announced on November 2.
Why it matters
What the papers say
The Independent reported that Robert Jenrick secured 33 votes, reinforcing his status as a frontrunner, while Kemi Badenoch received 28 votes. The Mirror highlighted the elimination of Priti Patel and the dynamics among the remaining candidates, noting that Jenrick's tough stance on immigration has garnered him significant backing. Rachel Cunliffe from New Statesman pointed out the shift in support within the party, indicating that the right has coalesced around Jenrick, while the moderates are still in contention.
How we got here
The Conservative Party is undergoing a leadership contest after Rishi Sunak's government faced significant electoral losses. Priti Patel was the first candidate eliminated, leaving four contenders to vie for the leadership position.
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Robert Edward Jenrick is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government since 2019. He has served as Member of Parliament for Newark since 2014.
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Priti Sushil Patel is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for the Home Department since 2019 and the Member of Parliament for Witham since 2010. Patel served as Secretary of State for International Development from 2016 to 2017.
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Melvyn John Stride is a British politician who served as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from 23 May to 24 July 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament for Central Devon since 2010.
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Rishi Sunak is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2022.
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James Spencer Cleverly is a British Conservative politician who served as Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party alongside Ben Elliot from 2019 to 2020. He has been Member of Parliament for Braintree since 2015. He was previously Member of the London Assem
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The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, and also known colloquially as the Tories, Tory Party, or simply the Conservatives, is a political party in the United Kingdom.