JAMES Cleverly has told the Tories to “be more normal” as the final four leadership rivals made their closing conference pitches.
All candidates are delivering 20-minute speeches to the party faithful on the last day of their annual gathering in Birmingham.
James Cleverly delivers his closing conference speech[/caption]
Tom Tugendhat says he wants to be a leader, not a manager[/caption]
Tom Tugendhat opened with a promise that he was “not here to manage, but to lead” in an apparent dig at predecessor Rishi Sunak.
Mr Cleverly – Shadow Home Secretary – apologised on behalf of Conservative MPs for the disastrous election result.
And giving a brutal verdict on how the party needs to change, he stressed the need to sell “Conservative policies with a smile” – adding: “Let’s be more normal.”
Robert Jenrick went into the last day as the frontrunner, having mopped up the most amount of MPs so far.
Kemi Badnoch is hot on his heels but has made a series of gaffes during the four-day get-together.
Next week Tory MPs will begin knocking out two more candidates until the final two go before the members with a result on November 2.
The final day came as Ms Badenoch risked another row after suggesting jailing thousands of civil servants.
The Tory firebrand let rip at Whitehall, telling a conference fringe event: “There’s about 5 to 10% of them who are very, very bad – you know should be in prison bad – leaking official secrets, undermining their ministers, agitating. I had some of it in my department.”
The former Business Secretary added: “The trick to being a good minister is to find the good ones quickly, bring them close and try and get the bad ones out of your department as quickly as possible.”
Her latest comments came as the four contenders prepared to go back to back in 20 minute speeches to the bruised Conservative membership in Birmingham.
Mr Cleverly’s odds were shortening last night to take the Tory crown.
The bookies have Jenrick as the favourite in the leadership race at 8/11 with the winner announced at the start of November.
Cleverly is seen as the big mover of the week in the betting stakes at 7/2 as he was 12/1 last week, Betfair said.
