Tory leadership contenders' gaffes and controversies - from spiking row to trans rights

The Tory enactment contention to regenerate Rishi Sunak is gearing up arsenic the candidates hole to present speeches astatine the Tory enactment conference. Here is simply a breakdown connected their chances of winning

Just 4 candidates stay successful the contention to regenerate Rishi Sunak arsenic the Tory enactment contention steps up a gear.

Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat are each vying for the enactment leadership, and volition get a accidental to code the party's rank astatine the league successful Birmingham which kicks disconnected today.

Mr Jenrick - a erstwhile state of Mr Sunak - is presently the frontrunner and is followed by Ms Badenoch. But with lone 121 Tory MPs, the contention is inactive wide unfastened and hard to predict. All 4 volition each person an accidental to code the league - which volition tally until Wednesday - and their campaigns volition beryllium lobbying MPs earlier parliamentarians prime the last 2 connected October 10.

Members volition past take betwixt those 2 to regenerate Mr Sunak, with the effect declared connected November 2.

Here are the last 4 candidates successful the contention - present is simply a breakdown connected their chances of winning.

Robert Jenrick

Appeal to hardline Tories: The erstwhile migration minister, who discontinue the relation erstwhile helium didn't deliberation the Rwanda program was beardown enough, is simply a favourite among the close of the party. Having reinvented himself arsenic a right-winger, those who are close helping are apt to beryllium attracted to his beardown absorption to the European Convention of Human Rights. His ministerial acquisition - which includes 2 years arsenic Housing Secretary - is besides apt to entreaty to immoderate Tories.

Risky connected gaffes: He volition beryllium a risky prime for many, having often recovered media attraction for the incorrect reasons. They see for him being banned for driving for six months aft being caught speeding, arsenic good arsenic for travelling 40 miles to sojourn his aged parents during the Covid lockdown. He besides came nether occurrence for coating implicit a mural of cartoons including Mikey Mouse for kids astatine an asylum seeker reception centre. Among different drawbacks, his displacement to focusing connected much right-wing issues whitethorn bounds his entreaty to immoderate successful his party.

Chances of winning: He is the existent frontrunner, getting the backing of 33 MPs truthful far. This is up from 22 votes successful the archetypal round. In the summertime helium came past retired of the 4 successful a canvass of Tory members, gaining conscionable 12% of the vote.

Kemi Badenoch

Popular with grassroots: The erstwhile Cabinet curate is simply a fashionable quality - some among grassroots Tories and elder MPs. More than a 3rd of the Shadow Cabinet person backed her, with aggregate members saying she's the lone 1 who has the "X-factor" to steer the Tories backmost into government. Having served arsenic Business Secretary nether Mr Sunak, she is simply a acquainted fig to the nationalist too.

Public spats: The outspoken erstwhile Equalities curate is not acrophobic of a nationalist spat, with immoderate radical successful her enactment reasoning she is simply a liability. Most precocious she argued with ex-Post Office seat Henry Staunton connected X/Twitter amid the ongoing fallout of the Horizon IT scandal. She has travel nether occurrence from members of the LGBT community. A leaked signaling from 2018 heard her mock cheery matrimony and notation to trans women arsenic "men". She has been successful a nationalist enactment with Doctor Who prima David Tennant who said helium wished she would “shut up” astir trans people.

Chances of winning: She received 28 votes successful the 2nd circular of the race, expanding her ballot stock by six, to enactment her successful 2nd place. Polling of Tory members successful the summertime enactment her arsenic the frontrunner connected 24% of the vote.

James Cleverly

Experience successful precocious office: Having served precocious arsenic some Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary, helium would bring acquisition successful the apical authorities offices to the relation of Tory leader. He sees a autumn successful nett migration and enactment for Ukraine arsenic being occurrence helium tin drawn on. He was often sent retired connected the broadcast circular and is capable to tract questions nether unit which could entreaty to Tory members.

Headlines for the incorrect reasons: Many spot him arsenic a liability arsenic helium has often recovered himself getting headlines for each the incorrect reasons. Last Christmas helium was forced to apologise aft joking astir giving his woman a date-rape drug astatine a Downing Street drinks. Earlier, successful the archetypal week arsenic brag of the Home Office, helium was faced claims helium described the Rwanda migrant deportation program arsenic "batsh**". And successful different sweary gaffe helium was accused of calling a Labour MP's constituency a "s**thole" successful PMQs. He besides fundamentally failed to get a grip connected the tiny boats situation arsenic Home Secretary.

Chances of winning: He received 21 votes successful the 2nd round, the aforesaid arsenic helium received successful the first, putting him successful 3rd place. Summer polling of Tory members enactment him successful 3rd spot with 14% of the vote.

Tom Tugendhat

More mean pitch: He has pitched himself arsenic the much mean campaigner of the four, meaning galore radical volition crook to him aft years of radicalism and hardline Tory rhetoric. His acquisition successful the Territorial Army, wherever helium served successful some the Iraq warfare and the Afghanistan war, is an entreaty to Tories, particularly during a clip of specified planetary instability and conflict.

Lack of experience: He is the lone campaigner retired of the last 4 not to service arsenic a Secretary of State of a authorities office. He served arsenic Security curate nether Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak but his deficiency of acquisition is apt to spark hesitancy among some. His astonishment determination to enactment ditching the European Convention of Human Rights besides raised eyebrows of

Chances of winning: Tied with Cleverly, helium besides received 21 votes successful the 2nd circular - this was up by 4 from the archetypal round. He would travel successful 2nd spot connected 16% of the vote, up of Cleverly, according to polling of Tory members successful the summer.

When volition the victor beryllium announced?

The remaining 4 candidates volition enactment guardant their enactment pitches astatine the Tory enactment league successful Birmingham from September 29-Oct 3. Conservative MPs volition transportation retired further rounds of voting to prime 2 last candidates for the party's grassroots to take between, with the effect of the members' ballot announced connected November 2.

Polling figures from a YouGov survey of 910 Conservative members successful August. They included Priti Patel and Mel Stride, who came 5th and sixth respectively among Tory members.