Tory deputy chair resigns to back Robert Jenrick in leadership race

Conservative Party deputy chair Matthew Vickers has resigned from his role in order to back Robert Jenrick in the Conservative Party leadership contest.

Mr Vickers also serves as shadow policing minister, but does not need to stand back from this role to declare his support for a candidate.

However, Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is remaining neutral in the contest, which is why Mr Vickers is standing down from his role there.

Politics latest: Starmer suffers post-election poll drop

He was first appointed to the deputy chairmanship in 2022 but has decided to stand down as he believes it is important to declare his support for the Newark MP.

The decision was made after he chaired a leadership hustings for northern Tory members.

All candidates except for Kemi Badenoch attended, as she was on holiday with her family.

Tories demand investigation into Civil Service appointments under Labour government

Should Starmer have labelled rioters ‘racists’?

Scottish Tory leadership race: MSP Stephen Kerr brands Murdo Fraser’s campaign ‘awful’ in WhatsApp blunder

Who is running in Tory leadership race?

Mr Vickers said: “On Saturday, I chaired the northern hustings of the leadership contest.

“All the candidates were good, but Robert Jenrick was the standout. This process really matters – we have a mountain to climb and need a leader that can bring us back in one term. Having heard him up close, I firmly believe that that’s Robert.

“He had the clearest diagnosis of why we lost, and set out the most compelling vision for how we change, rebuild and win again.

“Of course, he is a strong communicator, but he crucially has the credibility we need to earn back the public’s trust.”

Mr Jenrick said: “It’s great to have the backing of such a well-respected Conservative campaigner and champion for levelling up in the North East.

“As we rebuild in opposition, we must return to our roots as a truly national party – of and for the entire country – mission-focussed on spreading opportunity to every corner of the UK.”

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

In previous leadership elections, Mr Vickers backed Rishi Sunak.

He is currently the MP for Stockton West, and was first elected to parliament in 2019 for the seat of Stockton South.

According to a poll of 805 Tory party members carried out between 2 August and 12 August, James Cleverly is the most popular candidate to be the next party leader, with 26% supporting him.

He was followed by Dame Priti Patel on 20%, Ms Badenoch on 14%, Tom Tugendhat on 11%, Robert Jenrick on 10% and Mel Stride on 4% in the poll from Techne UK.

However, previous surveys have thrown up other results – and a consensus on a favourite has not emerged.

The current slate of six candidates will be narrowed down through votes among Tory MPs at the start of next month, until just four remain.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

👉 Click here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts 👈

They will take part in a “beauty contest” at the Conservative Party conference between 29 September and 2 October, with MPs voting again to whittle the contest down to two.

At this point, the whole Conservative membership will vote on the head to head, with a final winner to be declared on 2 November.

Read Entire Article