Who is in the Tory leadership race and when will the winner be announced?

The Conservatives are set to announce who will take over from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as party leader this morning.

After six candidates threw their hat into the ring in July, there are now just two contenders left, Kemi Badenoch an Robert Jenrick.

Party members have had 16 days to cast their ballot as the pair campaigned across the country.

James Cleverly became fourth candidate to be ditched in the race on October 9, after Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat were eliminated.

The Shadow Home Secretary was the favourite to go through to the final two after coming top of the previous round of voting only yesterday.

So who are the two final candidates?

Kemi Badenoch

Undoubtedly one of the biggest rising stars to emerge from the Conservative ranks in the past few years, Badenoch (pronounced Bayd-noch) is the bookies’ favourite to win.

While serving as Business Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, she made her name by engaging directly with culture war issues, most prominently surrounding gender.

This wouldn’t be her first pop at the party leadership: she previously came fourth in the July 2022 contest, behind Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak and ultimate winner Liz Truss.

Amazingly, Mordaunt and Truss both lost their seat at the last election and Sunak’s stepping down. Could that mean Badenoch is now destined for the top spot?

A win for her would be a win for the right wing of the party, but MPs believe she can also appeal to the centre.

At her launch event, she criticised the previous government (which she was part of) by saying it ‘talked right but governed left’ on issues like net zero.

Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick, a former Housing Secretary, reportedly spent the days after the General Election calling around new and old MPs to set himself up as a potential leadership candidate.

In his media appearances since, he has focused his attention on an issue that defined much of his work in parliament since 2022: immigration.

He was appointed Immigration Minister in Rishi Sunak’s first Cabinet after taking over from Liz Truss as PM and stayed in the role for over a year.

But he resigned in December 2023, arguing that Sunak’s effort to iron out legal issues with the Rwanda scheme did not go nearly far enough.

If the Tories decide they lost the election because their stance on immigration was not hardline enough, Jenrick might be their pick for leader – and so far, he’s come top of both MP ballots.

But he’s had to fight through controversies in the past, including long drives during the Covid lockdowns and the removal of a Disney-themed mural at a migrant centre for children.

When will the new Tory leader be announced?

It’s thought the new Conservative leader will be announced around 11am today, although it could be anytime this morning.

Sunak will then formally step down.

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