Badenoch and Jenrick make final two in Tory leadership contest as Cleverly knocked out
James Cleverly has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race in a shock result that has stunned Westminster watchers, ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston and Correspondent Romilly Weeks report
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are now the final two contenders in the Tory leadership race as James Cleverly was knocked out in the latest round of voting.
In a shock result after Cleverly came out on top in the vote by Tory MPs on Tuesday, Badenoch got the most votes in this round with 42, followed by Jenrick on 41, and Cleverly on 37.
The elimination of the more centrist Cleverly means the next leader of the Conservatives will be someone from the right of the party - Jenrick has focused on immigration in his campaigning, while Badenoch is vocal on culture war issues and wanting a smaller state.
"Sadly it wasnt to be," Cleverly wrote on X shortly after the result was announced.
"I’m grateful for the support I’ve received on this campaign from colleagues, party members and the public," he said.
After the last round of voting eliminated Tom Tugendhat, Cleverly has now become the latest candidate to join the list of unsuccessful leadership hopefuls.
The crucial vote will now go to the party members, who will receive ballot papers from October 15 before voting closes on October 31, and the new leader is revealed on November 2.
ITV News' Mahatir Pasha explains what happens now that James Cleverly is out of the race to become leader of the Conservative Party
The contest to replace Rishi Sunak after the Conservatives' historic election defeat in July has spanned more than three months, with six initial candidates now down to two.
Who are the two battling it out to become the next Tory leader?
Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch is no stranger to controversy - she faced a fierce backlash at Conservative conference after she appeared to claim maternity pay was "excessive".
She later clarified the remarks saying she believes in maternity pay.
Badenoch made a name for herself as an outspoken voice on gender issues, opposing gender neutral toilets and calling for a change to the Equality Act so that sex is defined only as someone's biological sex.
The MP for North West Essex also drew some criticism after making a joke that some civil servants are so bad they "should be in prison".
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The former business secretary says "renewal" is the first task for a new party leader and that she would aim to rebuild the party by 2030 and respond to Reform UK's threat from the right.
Robert Jenrick
Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has come out on top in both previous rounds of voting, getting 28 votes in the first round and 33 in the second.
He's marked himself apart from other candidates by saying the UK "must leave" the European Convention on Human Rights.
Jenrick faced some criticism at Conservative Party Conference when he released a video claiming UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists” because the ECHR will "set them free".
The Newark MP later doubled down on the claim, defending his comments as "absolutely correct" - though he admitted he could not “elaborate on particular cases”.
Robert Jenrick has gone on a political journey since getting elected in 2014. The MP was nicknamed "Robert Generic" when he first entered Parliament and was considered a moderate.
But he has gradually moved to the right, a position he cemented as immigration minister.
The MP for Newark resigned as a minister last December, claiming the then-draft legislation designed to revive the Rwanda deportation policy did "not go far enough".
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