Robert Jenrick or Kemi Badenoch will become the next Tory leader, with Rishi Sunak stepping down once a successor has been elected. (Leon Neal/Getty Images/Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Either Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will become the new leader of the Conservative Party after James Cleverly was knocked out of the race. Rishi Sunak will step down once a successor has been elected.
Following a vote on Wednesday (9 October), 1922 committee chairman Bob Blackman announced that 120 Tory MPs took part.
Badenoch came out on top on 42 votes, with Jenrick just one behind. Cleverly, who had been ahead overnight, bowed out after managing to find only 37 backers.
The result leaves shadow housing secretary Badenoch, and former immigration minister Jenrick, who are both on the right of the party, as the final two candidates. The winner will be decided by party members.
Both have made controversial comments around trans rights. Jenrick has said “balance” is needed when it comes to outlawing so-called conversion therapy, while Badenoch has a reputation for being opposed to LGBTQ+ rights and is of the most prominent anti-trans voices in parliament.
The winner will announced on 2 November, just three days before the US presidential election.
‘It’s not a result I expected’
A senior MP told the BBC: “It’s not a result I expected. There may have been a degree of complacency in one camp. I did warn colleagues that if they try to game the system they need to be careful about possible problems.
“It seems Tom Tugendhat’s votes [he dropped out on Tuedsay] went to Robert and Kemi. It’s quite a surprising position.”
Another unnamed party member said they were “gobsmacked” by Cleverly’s defeat. The former home secretary has used social media to thank his supporters, saying: “Sadly, it wasn’t to be. It’s important the Conservative Party unites to take on this catastrophic Labour government.”
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