Newark MP Robert Jenrick awaits outcome of Conservative Party leadership contest vote, with next leader to be announced on November 2
Voting in the Conservative Party leadership contest closes today as candidates make last minute calls for support.
Newark MP Robert Jenrick is in a head-to-head contest with fellow Tory MP Kemi Badenoch to become the next leader of their party.
Conservative Party members have been voting for who they would like to see lead them in official opposition to the Labour Government, which took power following this summer’s General Election.
Voting ends at 5pm tonight (Thursday, October 31), and the winner will officially be announced this Saturday, November 2.
Mr Jenrick was among the first Tory MPs to announce their bid to become leader and emerged as the early front runner.
Since August he has been touring the UK, holding over 250 different campaign events, and meeting with party members to find out about their priorities.
He survived an initial cull of leadership candidates in September, and in early October scraped into the final two, as former Home Secretary James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat were both eliminated following two rounds of voting by Tory MPs.
A recent survey by political blog site Conservative Home asked who the next party leader should be and put Kemi Badenoch in front with 55% support, Mr Jenrick received 34%, and 14% of respondents said they did not know.
He has consistently said throughout his campaign that his priorities would be a push for the UK to leave the European Commission of Human Rights, place a cap on migration, and win the next General Election.
Along the way he has also come under fire for his political ideas, and for several controversial comments he has made, including telling former colonial countries that they owe a “debt of gratitude” to the UK.
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