Skip to main content
Cleverly leads Tory leadership race as Jenrick flounders
Conservative Party leadership candidate James Cleverly delivers a speech during the Conservative Party Conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Picture date: Wednesday October 2, 2024.

JAMES CLEVERLY surged into the lead in the Tory leadership race today, building on an impressive turn as the “normal” candidate at the party conference.

The former foreign and home secretary leapt to first place from joint third, as ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat was eliminated in the latest round of voting by Conservative MPs.

Mr Cleverly secured the backing of 39 MPs, ahead of Robert Jenrick on 31 and Kemi Badenoch on 30. Mr Tugendhat got just 20 votes.

Donate to the Fighting Fund
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd as he departs a
Eyes Left / 16 April 2025
16 April 2025
ANDREW MURRAY casts an eye over past upheavals and asks whether the left can find a fire escape before the world goes up in flames
Jonathan Reynolds 12.4.25
Britain / 12 April 2025
12 April 2025
But Business Secretary downplays prospect of full nationalisation and declines to extend emergency assistance to Port Talbot or Grangemouth
A Reform UK activist holds up a banner as party leader Nigel
Britain / 10 April 2025
10 April 2025
Clothing showing an image of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
Eyes Left / 2 April 2025
2 April 2025
ANDREW MURRAY wonders whether recent opinion polling and a fresh local authority by-election result in Ilford are an indication that the time is ripe for the left to make inroads
Similar stories
(left to right) Tory leadership candidates, Kemi Badenoch, R
Britain / 9 October 2024
9 October 2024
Robert Jenrick
Britain / 10 September 2024
10 September 2024
Robert Jenrick
Britain / 4 September 2024
4 September 2024
Kemi Badenoch
Britain / 2 September 2024
2 September 2024