Tonbridge MP through to next round in Tory leadership race

Tom Tugendhat tied with James Cleverly at the back of the pack with 21 votes each, while Mel Stride was eliminated.  Mahima Abedin Rports

Transcript

00:00Mahima, you're staying dry and warm hopefully in what's been quite a stormy day both in the

00:04weather and politics wise. What can you tell us about the knockout stage?

00:11Hi Abi, yes as you said a very stormy day both in politics and here today. But what I can tell you

00:17is that Tom Tugendhat, one of Kent's only MPs running to be Tory leader, is through to the

00:22next stage and Mel Stride is out. The Tunbridge MP has tied with 21 votes, along with James

00:29Cleverley and I've been stood here outside of the Houses of Parliament where the action is taking

00:34place all day and let's just say it's been a very busy day throughout the day. Ballots have been

00:39passed and MPs have been trying to gather as much support as they can and of course we just found

00:44out not too long ago that Mel Stride has been kicked out having received 16 votes. Now it's

00:50round two of six for the race to be the leader of the Conservative Party. At the start of today

00:55there was five MPs running and now it's down to four but that includes Tunbridge's MP Tom Tugendhat

01:02and although he's at the back of the pack he's still in the race. So who are Kent's MPs supporting?

01:08Well what I can tell you is that we know that Katie Lamb, Kent's newest Conservative MP, has been

01:13showing support for Robert Jenrick who today received 33 votes so he's the front runner.

01:19She's been saying that he's strong with his views on immigration and she thinks that he'll bring

01:23about the change that she wants to see within her party. Others like Helen Waitley and Laura Trott

01:29who are both members of the Shadow Cabinet and both have constituencies in the county

01:35aren't backing their fellow Kent colleague Tom Tugendhat either. They're showing support for

01:39Kemi Badenoch who has 28 votes as of today. Earlier we spoke to Sir Roger Gale who's the

01:45MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich and although he can't exactly say who his support lies with

01:50because he's on the executive for the 1922 committee what he does say is that what MPs

01:55are looking for in a Tory leader could be very different to what the Parliamentary Party are after.

02:01The membership of the Conservative Party is looking for a leader for the party to take us

02:08into the next general election, hopefully win the next general election and become the next

02:13Conservative Prime Minister. The Parliamentary Party clearly is looking for the man or woman

02:20who will take us through this Parliament, lead us at the parliamentary level, lead the attack on

02:28the opposition, hold the opposition to account and enable us all to do what is now our job which is

02:34to very fiercely and unrelentingly take what is already seen as a dreadful government to pieces.

02:43So what we do know now is that Tom Tugendhat is still in the race to be to lead the party but what

02:48voters in Kent compared to what MPs in Parliament want could be very different and well we might see

02:53that play out coming in the next stages. But what is the next stage? Well the four through to the

02:58next stage will pitch, directly pitch, to party members at a conference up in Birmingham a few

03:04hours away from here and that's where it could all change. Tom Tugendhat is still in the race to be

03:10changed. Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverley are both at the bottom right now with 21 votes

03:15and Robert Jenrick with 33 at the top but it's all to play for.