James Cleverly has been knocked out of the Conservative leadership contest in the fourth and final round of voting by Tory MPs
Former business secretary Kemi Badenoch topped the poll of MPs with 42 votes, followed by former immigration minister Robert Jenrick on 41 votes. They now advance to the contest’s membership voting stage.
The results from the final round of voting were as follows:
- James Cleverly – 37
- Kemi Badenoch – 42
- Robert Jenrick – 41
Badenoch gained an extra 12 supporters from the last round, while Jenrick won a further 10.
Cleverly, who now exits the race, lost two MPs.
It comes after Tom Tugendhat was eliminated from the contest on Tuesday. The former security minister won the support of only 20 MPs.
Reacting to his elimination in the final round of MP voting, Cleverly reflected that it “wasn’t to be”.
In a post to X/Twitter, he said: “I’m grateful for the support I’ve received on this campaign from colleagues, party members and the public.
“Sadly it wasn’t to be. We are all Conservatives, and it’s important the Conservative Party unites to take on this catastrophic Labour government.”
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has said Conservative activists are now left with the task of choosing between “two of the architects of Tory failure”.
Ellie Reeves, the Labour Party chair, said: “Both Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are central figures in 14 years of hapless leadership and decline, and have already proven they’ve learned nothing from the mistakes that took the Conservative Party to its worst defeat in modern history.”
She added: “While the endless bickering continues, Labour is fixing the foundations and sorting out the mess that these two deeply unimpressive figures left behind.”
Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokesperson, said: “If this were an interview process they would’ve put the job advert up again.
“The best the Conservatives can come up with is a failed former minister who’d vote for Donald Trump and a failed former minister who thinks maternity pay is excessive.”
“Whoever wins this election will be tainted by the Conservatives’ legacy in government for years to come.”
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