Tory leadership race: the contenders to replace Boris Johnson
The Conservative leadership election appears to be wide open, with candidates from almost every ideological wing of the party. With one nation Tories and fiscal conservatives, Brexiters and remainers, there will be an array of views for MPs and activists to consider.
Here is a rundown of the runners and riders – and what we know of their political and social stances.
The former soldier has won the support of Damian Green, the chair of the One Nation caucus of Conservative MPs, giving him a headstart over Jeremy Hunt with softer Tories.
Launching his candidacy with an article in the Daily Telegraph, Tugendhat struck a unifying note, promising to “bridge the Brexit divide”, but he also called for the immediate reversal of the recent national insurance increase – which Labour also opposed.
As chair of the health and social care committee through the Covid crisis, Hunt stuck rigidly to health policy and patient safety, on which he recently wrote a book.
But his policy pitch when he stood for the leadership in 2019 included raising the threshold for national insurance – a tax cut for low to middle earners – and increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, something Boris Johnson also recently advocated. He was also less hardline on Brexit, speaking out against the no-deal option.
An ardent Brexiter, Mordaunt infuriated remainers during the 2016 referendum campaign by wrongly claiming the UK would not have a veto on Turkey joining the EU.
On economic policy she is towards the Tory left, however, supporting food banks (called “pantries”) in her Portsmouth North constituency, and pressing for more action from the government on the cost of living crisis. She is also a keen advocate of LGBT rights.
Javid painted himself as a low-tax Tory
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