TORY leadership hopefuls were flying out of the traps this afternoon to organise their campaigns.
Rishi Sunak’s resignation fired the starting gun on a contest widely expected to represent a bitter battle for the party’s soul.
Before the dust had even settled on the election defeat, speculation was already running as to who would replace him.
Kemi Badenoch is the odds-on favourite and almost certain to declare a bid – but frontrunners in previous Conservative races have fallen flat.
Bookies have the outgoing Business Secretary at 2-1 with a well placed Tory saying: “It’s definitely Kemi’s to lose.”
Another party veteran added: “We’re going to go to the right because of Reform, and her team has been up and running for some time now. They’re slick and well-organised.”
But former security minister Tom Tugendhat is expected to provide the main challenge from the moderate wing of the party.
The ex-soldier is 9-2 on Betfair to take the Tory crown and has told friends he intends to throw his hat into the ring.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been linked with a run but was dismissed by Tory figures as “dead on arrival”.
They said: “All of her team have deserted her, the MPs who backed her last time have gone and she’s a busted flush.”
Instead right-wingers are expected to coalesce around ex-immigration Robert Jenrick who has been taking soundings from colleagues.
Dame Priti Patel could also mount a bid on a platform to control borders.
Some Tory figures speculated whether Jeremy Hunt would take a third shot at the leadership after clinging onto his constituency by the skin of his teeth.
THE Betfair odds for next Tory leader:
Kemi Badenoch 2/1
Tom Tugendhat 9/2
Priti Patel 7/1
Robert Jenrick 17/2
James Cleverly 10/1
Jeremy Hunt 11/1
Suella Braverman 13/2
Nigel Farage 15/1
Kemi Badenoch, former Business Secretary
Darling of the right-wing Kemi Badenoch is a hit with the Tory grass roots.
She previously left the door open to running as leader, saying: “We will talk about leadership things after an election.”
A true blue Brexiteer Ms Badenoch has been outspoken on transgender issues.
She is seen as a frontrunner by many and previously ran for leader after the fall of Boris Johnson.
James Cleverly, former Home Secretary
A recent story claimed the Essex MP does not intend to stand in the Tory leadership race.
His wife Susie has just survived several rounds of intense cancer treatment.
However, he is popular with other MPs and experienced having held two of the great offices of state – Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.
The Essex MP told Sky News last night: “What might happen in the future I’ll leave that for the near future.”
Leaning more to the centrist side of the Tory Party he might be seen as a unity candidate to bring together warring factions.
Dame Priti Patel, former Home Secretary
Witham’s MP has long been loved by the Tory membership.
Eurosceptic Dame Priti was a leading figure in the Vote Leave campaign.
And is seen as a hardliner on immigration having signed off on the Tories flagship Rwanda deportation scheme.
She kept her powder dry throughout Rishi Sunak’s premiership, but plenty of her allies want her to run.
Suella Braverman, former Home Secretary
It will be no surprise if Suella Braverman throws her hat in the ring to be leader.
She was openly critical of Rishi Sunak’s premiership and declared two days before the election that the fight was over.
Mr Sunak sacked her over an article that accused the Metropolitan Police of bias in policing protests.
And she has annoyed some of her colleagues by saying she would welcome Nigel Farage into the Conservative Party.
She told the Times: “There’s not much difference really between him and many of the policies that we stand for.”
Robert Jenrick, former Immigration Minister
Since he left government Robert Jenrick has been making the case for a harder line on immigration.
Some of his colleagues think this points to serious leadership ambitions.
The MP for Newark resigned as a minister last December claiming draft legislation designed to revive the Rwanda deportation policy did “not go far enough”.
He was previously seen as something a moderate – meaning he might just have the broader appeal needed to unite the Tory Party.
Jeremy Hunt, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Tory big beast Jeremy Hunt ran for leader twice – in 2019 and 2022.
When he’s been questioned recently about future leadership ambitions he has remained reluctant.
But he will easily be one of the most experienced former Cabinet ministers to survive the cull.
He will certainly appeal to the lefty One Nation side of the party after he was brought in to steady the economy after Liz Truss.
But it might not be enough to bring the right wing on board who are seriously concerned about how Reform UK has eaten into their vote.
