Cleverly says Tories need to expand support base as leadership nominations open

James Cleverly, the first Tory leadership hopeful to declare his candidacy, has said the party needs to expand its base of support and shake off the impression that it is more focused on infighting than serving the public.

There will potentially be a crowded field in the contest as nominations open on Wednesday in the race to replace Rishi Sunak, with a winner to be announced on November 2.

Former home secretary Mr Cleverly told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that his party has been “the most successful political movement, I think, in human history”.

But recent achievements, which he listed as including stabilising the economy and supporting Ukraine, were overshadowed by “a number of negatives”, he said.

“I think one of the reasons why the criticisms landed, and the good work didn’t get cut-through, is we’d spent too much time rowing amongst ourselves, which gave the impression – the wrong impression – but gave the impression that we were more focused on ourselves than serving the British people. So we have to get out of that habit.”

He said the Conservative Party needs to “expand our base of support” but when asked about a recent poll suggesting around half of Tory members are in favour of joining forces with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK that the party “doesn’t do mergers”.

Former home secretary Suella Braverman, who is widely expected to launch a bid to lead the party from the right, said on Tuesday that Tories must reject “divisive identity politics and woke nonsense” in order to win back Reform voters.

She used a slot guest-hosting a radio programme to argue that “we had quite a centrist Conservative agenda” and that “identity politics got out of control” under Mr Sunak.

“We need to be a party that’s firm and credible on immigration,” she told LBC listeners.

“We need to give some hope to the British people on taxation, robust on security and defence, and a real champion for common-sense British values. None of this divisive identity politics and woke nonsense. It really frustrates me that that has happened on our watch.”

Other potential leadership contenders include shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch, former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride, former home secretary Dame Priti Patel, shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick.

According to polling by Savanta carried out between July 19 and 21, Mr Tugendhat is the most popular potential contender among both the public, at minus three points, and 2024 Conservative voters, at 21 points.

Dame Priti is the least popular, at minus 28 points and seven points respectively, according to the research.

Mr Cleverly is second in the running, Savanta’s findings suggest, at minus nine points with the public and 19 points among 2024 Conservative voters.

Under plans drawn up by the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs and the party board, nominations will open on Wednesday evening and close in the afternoon on July 29.

The parliamentary party will then narrow the field down to four, who will make their case at the Conservative Party Conference, which runs from September 29 to October 2.

The final two, picked by the parliamentary party, will then be voted on by Conservative Party members in an online ballot that will close on October 31. The result will be announced on November 2.

Bob Blackman, chairman of the 1922 Committee, said he is determined the leadership debate will be “respectful and thorough” and warned against the contest descending into “personal attacks”.

Mr Sunak, who will remain acting leader until a successor is appointed, has given his backing to the plans and said a “smooth and orderly transition” is in the “national interest”.