Tory MPs vote out the only leadership contender recognised by over half their potential voters

[muriel_volestrangler]

Former cabinet minister Priti Patel has been knocked out of the Conservative leadership contest in the first round of voting by Tory MPs.

The former immigration minister Robert Jenrick topped the poll of MPs with 28 votes followed by Kemi Badenoch on 22 votes.

Third was James Cleverly with 21, fourth was Tom Tugendhat with 17, fifth was Mel Stride with 16 and last was Dame Priti on 14.

Voting will continue in the coming weeks until there are two candidates left, leaving party members to pick one of them to be the new leader.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d7y92n31zo

Tory leadership candidates fail recognition test in new survey - but one reminds voters of David Attenborough

Only former home secretary Priti Patel was recognisable to more than half of people on 10 focus groups made up of former and current Conservative voters, according to pollsters More in Common.

Dame Priti was recognised by 52 per cent, followed by James Cleverly, also a former home secretary, with 44 per cent, while the early bookmakers’ favourite Kemi Badenoch barely got more than a third with 37 per cent.

More damning still was that 70 per cent of those who took part either did not know who would be the best prime minister (36 per cent) or thought none of the six would make the best prime minister (34 per cent).
...
While Dame Priti was the most recognised, this did not always work in her favour. Some remembered her for bullying allegations during her time as home secretary, others called her “divisive”.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-leadership-candidates-kemi-badenoch-b2605745.html

They thought Mel Stride has a nice voice like Attenborough, and maybe should be in audiobooks, not politics.

I suppose the winner does have 5 years to get known by the public.

[T_i_B]

1. Sadly, it's not a surprise at all...

That the two worst candidates are the 2 frontrunners to become the next Conservative Party leader.

Patel seemed to me to be running as a moderate (however unconvincingly) and that's something that the Conservative Party in.2024 cannot accept. And is also a major party of why they've just had a historically bad election defeat!

[LeftishBrit]

2. I'd have thought it hard to imagine someone worse than Patel...

but Jenrick and Badenoch do seem to fit the bill!

It sums up the quality of their candidates that Dimly, I mean Cleverly, MP for Mugsville, I mean Braintree, is one of their better ones

[T_i_B]

3. Tugdenhat knocked out

James Cleverly now the surprise front runner! Although it would not surprise me one bit if the Tory grassroots still preferred Badenoch and Jenrick over him.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7x04vnng1o

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. It seems head-to-head surveys have members preferring Badenoch, then Cleverly, then Jenrick

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/james-cleverly-robert-jenrick-tory-polling-b2624578.html

Since, as far as I can tell, Jenrick's pre-contest fame was (a) an early breaking of Covid rules (b) him giving Richard Desmond a sweetheart development ruling as a government minister, I can see why some of them would hesitate to choose him - there's plenty for Labour (and Reform, if there's no deal) to attack there. It's whether his recent rhetoric hits the Tory G-spot enough for them to fall in love with him and ignore his record, really.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Cleverly knocked out of Tory leadership race as Jenrick and Badenoch reach final stage

Didn't expect this after yesterday - I'd have though Tugenhat's votes were more likely to go to Cleverly.

With 1922 chairman Bob Blackman announcing that 120 Tory MPs took part, here's the full breakdown of a tight contest:

42 for Kemi Badenoch
41 for Robert Jenrick
37 for James Cleverly

James Cleverly has been knocked out of the running in a shock result.

He had been leading the pack in a vote only 24 hours ago, following a barnstorming speech at Tory conference last month.

Now the two candidates many view as being the most right-wing of the trio will go head-to-head.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp8l58gp421t

So expect them to cosy up to Farage, and be Trump-curious.