Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick will battle it out to be the next Tory leader after James Cleverly was dramatically dunked out of the race.
Mr Cleverly was expected to cruise through to the final two, but MPs rallied around the most right-wing candidates in the final round of voting. There were gasps in the room as Bob Blackman, who chairs the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, revealed the result.
It is an extraordinary turnaround for Ms Badenoch, who came out on top this afternoon – having finished third just 24 hours before. Ms Badenoch, who appeared to have blown her chances after a maternity pay gaffe last week, secured 42 of 120 votes, with Mr Jenrick just one behind. Former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary Mr Cleverly – who came first in the previous round – fell short with 37.
It comes after he pleaded with Tory Party members to “be more normal” at the annual conference in Birmingham last week. The final two were selected by the Parliamentary group as the party reels from a historic General Election defeat. It will now be down to party members – who previously inflicted Liz Truss on the nation – to choose the winner.
The result landed hot on the heels of polling that found Mr Cleverly was the candidate the public thought was most likely to win an election. A former Tory minister told the BBC: “I don’t know when the death certificate for the Conservative Party will be issued. But it will be a private funeral with no wake afterwards.”
James Cleverly was unexpectedly knocked out of the leadership race (
Anadolu via Getty Images)
Before the final round of MP votes, a survey by Ipsos found 21% of voters thought Mr Cleverly was most likely to become PM. Mr Jenrick was on 10%, while just 7% said it was Ms Badenoch.
Ex-Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “Well…blimey! I think this could actually be the point when the Tory party ceases to be a movement contending for government. Lib Dems now have a very serious responsibility and opportunity to fill the gap. This is our moment.”
The choice of final two canidates has been branded a gift to Labour. Gavin Barwell, a former Tory MP who served as Theresa May’s chief of staff, said: “Keir Starmer continues to be a very lucky general.”
Ms Badenoch provoked a backlash when she suggested maternity pay was “excessive” during a radio interview last week. She later rolled back on it, but the row set the tone for a difficult Tory conference.
And Mr Jenrick sparked fury when he used footage of a British soldier who had since died in a video claiming SAS troops were killing terror suspects rather than capturing them. A source close to Mr Jenrick claimed he was the only one with a “serious plan” – warning Ms Badenoch would go down “endless rabbit holes” and getting in “endless spats”.
Boris Johnson super-loyalist Nadine Dorries said: “MPs had one job. To be normal and vote for the person who is best placed to lead you. It really wasn’t hard.”
Kemi Badenoch came out top in the final round of voting by MPs (
Anadolu via Getty Images)
Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney said: “If this were an interview process they would’ve put the job advert up again. The best the Conservatives can come up with is a failed former Minister who’d vote for Donald Trump (Mr Jenrick) and a failed former Minister who thinks maternity pay is excessive. Whoever wins this election will be tainted by the Conservatives legacy in government for years to come.”
Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves MP said: “After months of gaffes, wild unfunded policies and infighting, Tory members now have the unenviable task of choosing between two of the architects of Tory failure. Both Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are central figures in 14 years of hapless leadership and decline, and have already proven they’ve learned nothing from the mistakes that took the Conservative Party to its worst defeat in modern history.”
Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat have previously been knocked out by MPs. Rishi Sunak remains Conservative leader despite having announced he was stepping down back on July 5. The winner is expected to be announced on November 2 – three days after Labour’s first Budget since coming to power.
Last week the final four contenders made their pitch at the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham, with Mr Cleverly overwhelmingly thought to have boosted his chances the most. The former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary told delegates he is the candidate Labour fears the most as he pointed to his rivals’ lack of experience.
Mr Cleverly picked up 39 votes in the previous round, but just one ballot separated Mr Jenrick and Ms Badenoch, who received 31 and 30 respectively. It left both scrambling to secure 11th-hour backings from their parliamentary colleagues.
After Tuesday’s result Ms Badenoch’s campaign urged the Tory right to “coalesce” around the former business secretary, although a source in Mr Jenrick’s campaign said he was “in prime position to make the final two”.