Is Kemi Badenoch set to replace Rishi Sunak?
The Tory leadership election is now in full swing, with six contenders vying to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of the opposition.
The Tory-linked website Conservative Home has given some insight as to where the future of the party might lie. According to a survey it has conducted of Conservative Party members, Kemi Badenoch is the frontrunner in the contest.
Conservative Home’s survey found 33% of Tory members say that Kemi Badenoch should be the next leader of their party. That’s well ahead of second placed Robert Jenrick, who is on 19%.
Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly are both on 10%. Priti Patel is on 8% and Mel Stride is in a distant last place on 2%. 18% of respondent’s said they didn’t know who would make the best leader.
While the survey may give an indication as to which of the six candidates the party membership are most likely to support, it gives us little genuine indication as to who the next leader might be.
That’s because party members will only get the chance to vote for one of two candidates. First, Conservative MPs will whittle the field down from six to two in a series of ballots in September and October.
Nevertheless, with Stride and Tugendhat – the two moderate candidates in the election – well behind the leaders, it looks likely that, whatever the outcome, the Tories are heading rightwards.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament – Creative Commons
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