(Bloomberg) -- The four contenders to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader laid out starkly different paths for bringing the decimated opposition back to power in a series of speeches to party faithful.
The addresses to party’s annual conference in Birmingham on Wednesday were high-profile auditions before Tory Members of Parliament whittle the candidate list down to two in ballots next week. The speeches presented two main options, with Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick representing the party’s right, and James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat urging more of a centrist course.
Stumbles by Badenoch, the former business secretary, and Jenrick, an ex-immigration minister, in recent days have opened up a wider path for a moderate like Cleverly, the former home secretary. That raised the stakes for the candidates who will face a vote by the Conservative membership if they make the final ballot, with the results slated to be announced on Nov. 2.
Below are the main takeaways from their speeches:
Robert Jenrick, 42, former immigration minister
Key line: “I loathe empty rhetoric — big talk and little action — that’s part of the reason we are where we are. You know I will take a stand.”
Most notable policies: Leave the European Convention on Human Rights, freeze net migration, cut foreign aid, boost defense spending.
Takeaway: Jenrick, the bookmakers’ favorite, is seen as likely to make the final ballot, as his right-wing pitch has significant support among Tory MPs. But he needed to regain momentum after criticism over comments he made this week about Britain’s special forces killing rather than capturing terrorists. It was a self-inflicted error on a topic — the military — that Tories care about.
He spoke without a lectern in an attempt to inject energy into his address, and hit the notes of the right on crime, migration, trans-gender rights and other so-called culture war issues — though he didn’t manage to produce a moment that would suggest his path to victory is unassailable.
Kemi Badenoch, 44, former business secretary
Key line: “We are going to rewrite the rules of the game. If I become leader, we will immediately begin a once in a generation undertaking... a comprehensive plan to reprogram the British state.”
Most notable policy: Boost the economy by ending what she calls Treasury orthodoxy, and rid UK institutions of left-wing influence she said is hangover from the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Takeaway: Badenoch needed a big moment to get her campaign back on track following a series of controversial remarks this week about maternity pay, the minimum wage and a suggestion that thousands of civil servants should be in prison for undermining ministers.
Her speech was typical Tory fare, including railing against identity politics and net zero. Yet it contained no new policies and didn’t immediately appear to offer much in the way of any new dynamic to prevent her from losing support. The blue suit looked like an attempt to channel Margaret Thatcher, who appeared frequently in the candidates’ addresses.
James Cleverly, 55, former foreign secretary
Key line: “There’s something we need to say: Sorry. Sorry on behalf of the Conservative parliamentary party who let you down. We have to be better and under my leadership we will be.”
Most notable policies: Abolish the stamp duty property tax, cap personal taxation at 50%, spend 3% of GDP on defense. He provided no details on how he planned to pay for those measures.
Takeaway: Cleverly’s speech was an opportunity to help him leapfrog Badenoch onto the ballot — and it may have done the job. He was upfront about the Tories’ mistakes in office with an explicit apology, before positioning himself as an optimist who could make the party feel good about itself again, promising conservatism “with a smile.”
He also implored his colleagues to “be more normal,” which may be interpreted as a dig at Jenrick and Badenoch following their gaffes this week. While assessing MP and member support is difficult, it seemed Cleverly emerged from conference as the candidate with the most momentum.
Tom Tugendhat, 51, former security minister
Key line: “I will build an economy that works for you. That delivers homes and job for our children; that helps people back to well-paid work. That lets you choose what you do with your money. That’s my politics. That’s what I will deliver. That’s what I mean by a new Conservative revolution.”
Most notable policies: Lower taxes, build new nuclear plants, cap net migration at 100,000 people a year.
Takeaway: Tugendhat needed to deliver a game-changing speech that would convince MPs on the center of the party to choose him rather than Cleverly at next week’s vote. While he drew heavily on his military experience and tried to set himself apart as a fresh choice compared to his more experienced rivals, it was a relatively low-energy effort and thin on policy.
Much is now likely to depend on how many of the 16 MPs who backed Mel Stride before his elimination last month switch to Tugendhat. But his candidacy has always been an uphill struggle, with his more moderate politics including backing Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum (though Jenrick also did so) making him appear out of sync with the Tory membership.
(Updates with fresh analysis from first paragraph.)
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