Cleverly says to his supporters:
“We didn’t do it. I didn’t make it through and that is massively disappointing for me, but one of the things that has really lifted my spirits is how many people have given me and the team so much support. So I want to say a huge thank you to you all. I could not have done any of this without you makes me proud to be a Conservative, makes me proud that we can pull together as a team. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Classy send-off from Cleverly…
Jenrick has spoken to GB News following his ascension to the final two. He’s a happy man…
“I’m absolutely delighted to have got the trust and the confidence of so many. I have a very specific plan as to how we do that whether it’s improving the NHS, getting growth going again in our economy or securing our borders – I don’t believe in platitudes I want us to have a serious plan now.”
The leadership hopeful claims vote-lending accusations are a “conspiracy theory“:
“I think in the privacy of the ballot box my colleagues have voted for who they think is the best person to take this party forward.”
He is framing the race now as one on immigration policy:
“On immigration we do differ. I believe that we should leave the ECHR. In fact I think it’s the only way in which we’ll control our borders. We’ll get foreign criminals out of this country, we’ll get terror suspects out and we’ll actually restore sovereignty to Parliament. Also we do disagree on whether we should have a capped system of migration.”
Jenrick is still pushing for the member vote to be pushed forward for a Budget reponse from the new leader. Pushback from Badenoch so far…
Hacks and MPs were refusing to call whether Kemi or Jenrick would be the next to drop out of the leadership race today. Most punted that it’d be Cleverly squaring off against one of them. What they didn’t see coming was Cleverly—yesterday’s frontrunner—getting booted out instead. If co-conspirators were watching, they could hear gasps from the Committee room and from presenters on Sky News…
Tongues are wagging over how this shock result came about. Yesterday Team Cleverly were more than confident he would enter the final two. One senior Tory MP claims that Cleverly ‘lent’ too many votes to Jenrick in a spectacular own goal, fearing Badenoch more. Though James supporters insist he wasn’t trying to be Clever(ly) about fixing the vote…
Westminster insiders suggest both Jenrick and Badenoch lent their votes yesterday to inflate the popularity of Cleverly. Tory wets say that Jenrick supporters lent somewhere around 6 votes to Cleverly yesterday – rebuffed by claims that Cleverly’s lead was just too soft. Were too many MPs playing 4D chess?
A Kemi campaign spokesman said:
“We’re delighted that Kemi has topped the vote. As the members’ choice throughout, she is the best placed to unite the parliamentary party and the Conservative Party membership. Kemi is now looking forward to taking her campaign for renewal around the country and making the case for politics with principles.”
Jenrick now pitches himself to media as the potential leader “changed” and “serious party”. He pushed the fact that he differs with Kemi on immigration, wanting a cap on migration and to leave the ECHR.
It’ll be a feisty battle between the two right-wingers largely focused on immigration, culture and ideology rather than public services like the NHS and schools. Campaigns won’t hold back targeting each others’ character and personality. Most of the blue-on-blue attacks so far have come from them…
Cleverly has been voted out of the Tory leadership race, having been well in the lead yesterday. The party membership ballot will close at 5 p.m. on the 31st October. It’s head to head now between the two right-wingers…
Votes:
Badenoch – 42
Cleverly – 37
Jenrick – 41
A shock result…
Matt Chorley’s aggressive interview with Boris yesterday on 5 Live has raised a few eyebrows. The BBC’s newest hire (and its snippiest critic) got into a tired shouting match with Boris yesterday about whether the former PM is a “liar.” Chorley wouldn’t let Boris answer his own snarky questions…
Chorley admitted in a newsletter sent out later that viewers were not happy with his interview style:
“The reaction to the interview was divided almost equally – I was too shouty, he was too shouty, I wouldn’t let him speak, he wouldn’t answer the questions. But as always, everyone has a view.”
When an interviewer says the reaction to their interview was equally mixed – that means it was terrible. To top it off Chorley spent the rest of the day retweeting the odd random punter who said he did well. Is the BBC regretting its latest hire yet?
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”