Key quotes from the Conservative Party leadership election

The victor of the Conservative enactment contention volition beryllium announced connected Saturday, pursuing months of speeches, debates and gaffes.

Here are immoderate of the cardinal quotes from the enactment campaign.

In his transportation to the Tory league successful Birmingham, the erstwhile location caput urged his colleagues to reconstruct normality to blimpish politics, becoming much “enthusiastic, relatable, positive, optimistic”.

After surging into archetypal spot aft the conference, Mr Cleverly suffered a daze decision successful the last circular of MP voting and failed to marque the last two.

– “We’re taking from 1 radical of radical and giving to another. This, successful my view, is excessive.” – Kemi Badenoch connected maternity pay, Times Radio interview, September 30

Ms Badenoch prompted a backlash erstwhile she appeared to criticise statutory maternity wage successful an interrogation astatine the Conservative Party conference.

She aboriginal rowed back, insisting that she did “believe successful maternity pay” but thought concern regularisation was excessively burdensome, portion sources adjacent to her accused rival enactment candidates of looking to “score governmental hits” and not being “serious astir getting backmost into government.”

– “Our peculiar forces are killing, alternatively than capturing terrorists due to the fact that our lawyers archer america if they are caught the European Court volition acceptable them free.” – Robert Jenrick run video, September 30

Mr Jenrick suffered his ain backlash during the Tory league implicit this assertion astir British soldiers, portion of the absorption to the European Convention connected Human Rights that formed the bosom of his campaign.

War seasoned and rival enactment candidate, Tom Tugendhat, said Mr Jenrick was “wrong” and demonstrated “a cardinal misunderstanding of subject operations and the instrumentality of equipped conflict”, portion Mr Cleverly said British soldiers “do not execution people”.

– “I invaded a state erstwhile which was a fewer years ago, successful 2003, I was portion of the invading service successful Iraq.” – Tom Tugendhat, asked by The Spectator successful September astir the “naughtiest” happening helium had ever done

For Theresa May, it was moving done fields of wheat. For Robert Jenrick, it was attempting to ascent Wolverhampton’s Christmas histrion aft a fewer drinks. But for Mr Tugendhat, the naughtiest happening helium had ever done was invade different country.

The erstwhile soldier, who served successful some Iraq and Afghanistan, drew immoderate disapproval for “making light” of the struggle during an interrogation with The Spectator.

– “Being person of the absorption is simply a truly demanding occupation and, overmuch arsenic I similar Kemi, I deliberation she’s preoccupied with her ain children, rather understandably.” – Sir Christopher Chope, ITV Meridian, October 17.

Mr Jenrick distanced himself from 1 of his supporters, Sir Christopher Chope, aft the seasoned MP appeared to suggest that Ms Badenoch’s 3 young children meant she would not beryllium capable to give capable attraction to being person of the opposition.

The remark brought backmost echoes of a erstwhile enactment race, wherever Andrea Leadsom was forced to apologise successful 2016 aft appearing to suggest that being a parent made her a amended campaigner for premier curate than Theresa May.

– “I deliberation it’s disrespectful to the members and the nationalist to inquire for their votes without saying wherever you basal connected the large issues facing our state today.” – Robert Jenrick connected Kemi Badenoch, BBC Westminster Hour, October 20

Leadership candidates mostly steered wide of straight criticising their opponents, with attacks being powerfully discouraged by Conservative Campaign Headquarters.

But arsenic the contention neared its end, Mr Jenrick became much vocal successful his disapproval of Ms Badenoch, accusing her of failing to accidental wherever she stood connected large issues and saying helium offered “a program today” alternatively than “a program astatine immoderate constituent successful the future”.