The four candidates for Tory leadership have abandoned the centre ground as they embark on a right-wing arms race to win over the party faithful.
On the second day of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Robert Jenrick ramped up his anti-migration rhetoric, Tom Tugendhat said he doesn’t accept the term “climate emergency”, Kemi Badenoch re-emphasised her support for family values following a row over maternity pay, while James Cleverly waded in on trans issues.
The four candidates are parading themselves in front of party members at their annual conference – attending leadership hustings, Q&A sessions, fringe events, and drinks receptions – in what has been described as a beauty contest to shore up support. The rightward turn came despite a warning from former prime minister Theresa May that the party must not try to be like Nigel Farage and to remember it lost more seats to the Liberal Democrats. She urged the candidates to try to win back the centre ground but her appeal appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
This story is from the October 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the October 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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