The Conservative Leadership Bids

The Torries are rotten to the core and I don't see anyone there that could do a job to "reform" them for many a year.

Suella Braverman would probably be there best bet, but that won't happen after she was hounded down.She should join the Reform party to save her career.

That said the default labour government of today are as unpopular and as well as "anti British" as the Torries are, so due to this the Torries could well get back in by another default result at the expense of the Labour in the next general election, not because they have made progress or will be any good, but rather that the country will have had enough of labour by then.

The problem is we have the two most unpopular,and incompetent party's fighting to lead this country.This why Reform got the 3rd largest section of votes in less than 3 Weeks a month ago.

The final contenders to be the next Tory leader..by Francesca Gillett and Sean Seddon

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The six declared candidates are L-R (clockwise): Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Mel Stride, Prit Patel, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly

The window for nominations in the Conservative Party leadership election has now closed and we now know who the six people vying to be leader of the opposition are.

Shadow housing secretary Kemi Badenoch's leadership pitch has focused on a "renewal" of conservative values

Former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel is pledging to give back power to the party members and putting "unity before personal vendetta"

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick is expected to campaign on cutting immigration and pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights

Shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat says he wants to "rebuild trust to rebuild the party" and make sure it is "able to deliver"

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly, the first to announce his bid, has blamed party infighting for the party's election loss and wants the Tories to expand their supporter base

Shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride says the party needs unity to become an effective opposition

Can't say I'm too keen on this "anti British" narrative, either.

Yes, you're welcome to her.

Mel Stride out as four left in Tory leadership contest..by Joshua Nevett, Political reporter

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The Conservative leadership contest has been whittled down to four candidates after former cabinet minister Mel Stride was knocked out in a vote of Tory MPs.

The former immigration minister Robert Jenrick finished top with 33 votes, with Kemi Badenoch second on 28 votes.

James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat got 21 votes each from Tory MPs, leaving Mel Stride with the fewest votes on 16.

There will be further voting by MPs after the party’s conference next month to select the final two to be put to a vote of Tory members, who get the final say over who will be the new leader.

Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Stride said, external: "Out of the contest but really enjoyed the journey.

"Met so many wonderful people. Our party’s values still run deep and strong.

"In time we will prevail. Thank you to everyone who had a kind or positive word for me along the way."

The leadership contest winner will replace former prime minister Rishi Sunak, who stood down as party leader after leading the Conservatives to their worst performance at a general election in July.

In a bizarre statement Tom Tugendhat attacks Ed Davey for attending the Liberal Democrat Party Conference of which he is leader.
Don't all leaders attend their conferences Tom, like you will do if elected?

www.indy100.com/politics/tom-tugendhat-ed-davey-leader

Kemi Badenoch is forced to deny suggesting maternity pay is 'excessive' after Tory leader hopeful said mothers 'were having MORE babies' when the benefit did not exist..by James Tapsfield, Political Editor

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Kemi Badenoch was arguing that businesses face too much red tape and the tax burden is too high when she was pressed on maternity pay

Kemi Badenoch was forced to deny suggesting maternity pay is 'excessive' today as the Tory leader battle ramped up.

The shadow housing secretary came under furious attack from Labour after she was asked about the benefit during an interview at party conference this morning.

Ms Badenoch was arguing that businesses face too much red tape and the tax burden is too high when she was pressed on maternity pay.

'Maternity pay varies depending on who you work for, but it is a function, where it's statutory maternity pay. It is a function of tax,' she said.

'Tax comes from people who are working. We're taking from one group of people and giving to another. This in my view is excessive... the burden of regulation is too high...'

Pushed by presenter Kate McCann if she was saying maternity pay was 'excessive, Ms Badenoch seemed to continue making her point, saying: 'I think it's gone too far the other way in terms of general business regulation.

'We need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions.

'The exact amount of maternity pay in my view is neither here nor there. We need to make sure that we are creating an environment where people can work and people can have more freedom to make their individual decisions.'

Ms Badenoch went on to say that mothers made choices based on all sorts of factors. She said: 'We need to have more personal responsibility. There was a time when there wasn't any maternity pay and people were having more babies...'

When McCann said that was 'because women often had to not work', the former Cabinet minister accused her of 'putting words in my mouth'.

'The point I'm making, Kate, is that we have got to a point where government isn't working anymore and it's tinkering everywhere,' she said.

'Me giving you an exact amount of what maternity pay should be when circumstances are different everywhere is not where we're starting from.'

Aides stressed that Ms Badenoch had not been trying to suggest maternity pay is too high, but had been referring to 'general business regulation'.

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A survey of grass roots by Conservative-Home has underlined that Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick are the favourites to take the crown from Rishi Sunak

Her combative stance was underlined in a separate interview with the BBC, where she accused Laura Kuenssberg of 'trying to get me to say' that the problem was Muslims coming to the UK.

Ms Badenoch also said she would 'congratulate' Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on strikes that killed the Hezbollah leadership in Beirut, and the country was showing 'moral clarity' in taking out 'terrorists'.

And she warned critics such as Doctor Who star David Tennant - with whom she rowed about trans rights: 'If you swing at me I will punch back.'

Describing her appeal to voters, Ms Badenoch said: 'I am something that is just different and unique.'

I think they are already aiming to mirror Reform Party Ltd.
However I think it will work against them with voters fed up of the old school and wanting someone like Nige who is in a similar mould to Johnson who they adored at the time.