Conservative leadership hopefuls Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat took to the stage on Monday, 30th September to address the party conference. The duo is part of the quartet of candidates aiming to succeed Rishi Sunak as party leader, with competition from James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick.
Following their presentations to Tory members at the conference, Members of Parliament (MPs) will conduct further rounds of voting to determine the final two contenders for the party members to select from. The winner of this leadership contest is scheduled to be unveiled on 2nd November.
During the party conference in Birmingham, it is anticipated that migration, the National Health Service (NHS), and the party’s future will be key topics for the leadership candidates to engage with members on. Liz Truss has critiqued the candidates for supposedly failing to acknowledge the current issues faced by the country and the Conservative party.
The former prime minister went on to state that the four MPs should be transparent in explaining “what went wrong” and she expressed her belief that the party might have had a more favourable outcome in the general election back in July, had she still been at the helm instead of Mr. Sunak.