Six UK legislators vying for leadership of the Conservative Party following significant election loss

Six British politicians have thrown their hats into the ring to vie for the leadership of the recently defeated Conservative Party. This competition will determine the party’s direction, whether it leans towards the right or moves closer to the center ground. Candidates include former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, lawmaker Tom Tugendhat representing the party’s centrist faction, and former Home Secretary Priti Patel and ex-Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch who have backing from the right wing of the party.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and lawmaker Mel Stride have also garnered support from 10 Conservative lawmakers, meeting the deadline on Monday. Badenoch, who finished third in the party’s previous leadership contest in 2022, emerged as an early favorite according to bookmakers. She advocated for a revitalization of capitalism focusing on a smaller state and the significance of conservatism to voters.
Following the party’s substantial loss in the recent election which saw voters swaying towards parties on both the right and left, the Conservatives are in a dilemma between moderates aiming to recapture centrist voters and hardliners advocating for stricter migration and law enforcement policies to reclaim lost ground to Reform U.K. led by Nigel Farage. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a prominent figure in the party’s right wing, expressed her decision not to run and urged the party to engage with Reform and welcome Farage into Conservative ranks.
The Conservatives suffered a major defeat in the July 4 election, resulting in a landslide victory for Labour after 14 years with five prime ministers in power. With only 121 seats out of 650 in the House of Commons, the Conservatives encountered their worst-ever electoral outcome.
The party’s tumultuous years in government were laden with various challenges including spending cuts, the UK’s departure from the EU, a global health crisis, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Internal setbacks like Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden tenure and the economic challenges posed by his successor Liz Truss further compounded the party’s woes. The leadership contest to succeed former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will span over three months, with Sunak continuing as interim leader until the new leader is disclosed on Nov. 2.
The selection process involves Conservative lawmakers progressively narrowing down the field to four contenders, who will then present their cases to members at the party’s annual conference in early October. Subsequently, the final two candidates will be decided through an online vote by Conservative members nationwide. The previous contested leadership selection in mid-2022 resulted in Truss winning over Sunak, but she resigned within 49 days due to her tax-cutting proposals causing turmoil in financial markets, leading to Sunak taking over the reins.