Dame Priti Patel has officially announced her candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party. As the first woman to join the race to replace Rishi Sunak, she labelled herself as the person who can bring the party back to its winning ways. During her announcement, Patel expressed her ability to “reinvigorate” and unite the Tories with her political experience. Additionally, she stated that she can get the party in good shape to win the next general election.
Other notable potential candidates, including shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman, have not yet declared their intentions. However, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, and Mel Stride are officially in the race alongside Patel.
The former home secretary, known for her Euroscepticism and role in the Vote Leave campaign, has been a backbench MP since her resignation in 2022. However, she has been highly critical of the party’s leadership, blaming them for its recent election defeat.
Patel has also faced allegations of bullying, with a Cabinet Office inquiry in 2020 finding that she had “unintentionally” breached the ministerial code in her behaviour towards civil servants. Despite this, she has the support of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who awarded her a damehood in his resignation honours last year.
The process to replace Sunak will involve Tory MPs narrowing the field of candidates to four by the party’s annual conference in Birmingham at the end of September. The MPs will then conduct a series of ballots to reduce the number of contenders until only two remain. Finally, party members will choose the winner, with the result announced on November 2nd, three days before the US presidential election
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