Kemi or Rob? We find out the new Tory leader today
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have gone head-to-head to replace Rishi Sunak
We find out today who Conservative Party members have voted in as their new leader, replacing Rishi Sunak.
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have gone head-to-head in a leadership contest that has lasted almost four months.
The winner will be announced in an event in London this morning with the result expected around 11am.
How has the Tory leadership contest come about?
The contest was triggered when Mr Sunak announced he was standing down as party leader in the wake of the party’s election defeat in July.
The Conservatives returned MPs in 121 seats at the July poll, down hundreds on their 2019 result, having secured less than 25% of the vote nationally.
Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly also put themselves forward to lead the party, but were eliminated in a series of votes by Tory MPs to narrow the field down to the final two.
What have Badenoch and Jenrick campaigned on?
Former immigration minister Mr Jenrick has put leaving the European Convention on Human Rights at the centre of his campaign.
During the Conservative Party conference, he faced heat from other leadership rivals over claims he made about the UK’s special forces.
Nicknamed “Robert Generic” when first elected to the Commons in 2014, he has gradually moved to the right.
Ms Badenoch had several ministerial positions under Liz Truss and Mr Sunak and was business secretary before the Tories lost power in the July election.
She also held the women and equalities brief and made a name for herself as an outspoken voice on gender issues, including by calling for a change to the Equality Act so that sex is defined only as someone’s biological sex.
A survey of Tory members by the ConservativeHome website last week suggested Ms Badenoch had the lead, by 55% to 31%.
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