Robert Jenrick, who is one of six candidates competing to lead the UK Conservative Party, has launched his campaign to become the new leader following Rishi Sunak’s departure. Jenrick warned that the party was in dire need of “confronting some hard truths” in order to rebuild public trust. He stated that the main reason for the party losing the 2024 general elections was that it failed to uphold its promises to reduce immigration, and hence they need to rebuild their reputation for sound management, pointing to low growth and high taxation.
Conservative MPs have door-stepped to whittle down the number of candidates from six to four in September, who will then present their speeches to audiences in the party’s conference in Birmingham. Since this will narrow the field to a final two, party members then decide the winner through an online vote, which will end on 31 October, with the result announced two days later on 2 November.
Jenrick, who once supported Rishi Sunak, stated that the political party should change, or else there would be no future for them. Moreover, he explains that Tory leaders have previously shirked their ministry roles to avoid critics from their opponents. Finally, he praised his predecessors, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, for their accomplishments and claimed that the party needed to build more houses, ensuring that the NHS caters to the needs of the people regardless of religion.
During his speech, the potential leader shared his insights, such as leaving the European Court of Human Rights and capping the net migration limit decided by Parliament, which he expected to be tens of thousands. Jenrick acknowledges that the voting public is not certain; hence he urged his party to reject “defeatism” while staying “grounded in realism”. Esther McVey, a former minister, described Jenrick as a great communicator, who could persuade the public to turn around the Conservative Party’s fortunes instead of provoking it
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