Priti Patel, who had previously served as the home secretary, has stated that it is “time to put unity before personal vendetta” as she announced her intention to run for the leadership position of the Conservative Party.
When the senior Conservative MP entered the increasingly crowded field to succeed Rishi Sunak, he blamed the “heroic” party members for their worst-ever defeat on July 4. He said that the politicians who “fell out and left us short” were to blame for the setback.
Dame Priti is the fifth contender, but she is the first woman to openly announce that she is entering the contest for the top post. Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, and Robert Jenrick have already declared their intentions to run for the chief executive position.
“I am standing to be the new leader of the Conservative Party,” Dame Priti stated in her announcement of her choice regarding X on her website.
“I can lead us in opposition, unite our party, and get us fit for the next election with unity, experience, and strength.”
In the wake of the upheaval and bitter infighting that plagued the Tories in government, she emphasized that she possessed the experience and the resilience necessary to bring the organization together.
In the course of her argument that the Conservatives ought to take stock of the results of the elections, which resulted in the party being reduced to 121 members of parliament at Westminster, Dame Priti stated that the party must not allow “a soap opera of finger-pointing and self-indulgence” to divert attention away from the objective of winning the next election.
She was adamant that “authentic” conservative ideals, which include protecting freedom, fostering enterprise, ensuring the safety of individuals, and extending opportunities, continued to be well received by the general population.
The Conservatives would be able to restore power with the assistance of “competent, grown-up, and experienced politicians” who put things into practice by putting them into action.
In an effort to differentiate herself from her competitors, Dame Priti stated that members will be rewarded for their loyalty under her leadership by being given a bigger role in policy and the direction of the party. This would include the ability to assist in the election of the Tory chairman, who is now picked by the leader.
According to Dame Priti, “it is not our courageous members who failed; rather, it is the distraction that politicians have taken away from public service.”
“In order to bring about real change for people all across our country, we must now transform our conservative ideals into policies that are particularly robust.
Unity should take precedence over personal vendettas, country should take precedence over party, and delivery should take precedence over self-interest.
Throughout my more than thirty years of devotion to our party, serving in both the administration and the opposition, I have consistently done this. During the upcoming general election, I will be able to prepare us to win.
Before the nominations end at 2.30 p.m. on Monday, it is anticipated that shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is the bookmakers’ favorite to succeed Mr. Sunak, and former home secretary Suella Braverman will take the opportunity to put themselves forward for consideration.
The parliamentary party will select four candidates from the pool of candidates. It is at the Conservative Party conference, which will take place from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October, that the shortlist will present their case.
Following the selection of the final two candidates by the parliamentary party, the candidates will be put to a vote by the members of the party through an online ballot that will conclude on October 31. The results of the voting will be disclosed on November 2.
Savanta conducted a survey between the 19th and 21st of July, and the results showed that Mr. Tugendhat is the most popular possible challenger among both the general public, who gave him a score of minus three points, and the Conservative voters of 2024, who gave him a score of 21 points.
According to the findings of the research, Dame Priti was the least popular of the three, receiving a score of minus 28 points and seven points, respectively.
According to the findings of Savanta, Mr. Cleverly is currently in second place in the race, coming in with a negative nine points among the general public and 19 points among 2024 Conservative voters.