Who will be our next Conservative leader? Who is right for the job?

Currently listening to Johnson being interviewed about the book on Sky News which is giving me a pretty good idea about how I’d feel about reading the book. His view of things is being systematically picked apart by the interviewer. He talks the talk very well but when you look deeper into what he says it’s pretty shallow. Eg the solution to Ukraine is to allow Ukraine to join NATO because Putin wouldn’t dare to invade a NATO country. I wouldn’t bank in that!

How can anyone judge and comment on a book they haven’t read just by reading a review which is biased towards the reviewers point of view?

Imo a book that includes his part in the pandemic should make for funny reading. It’s typical of him.

Doodledog, I have read extracts and it reads well, BJ is highly intelligent and I am looking forward to reading the whole book, its funny and hopefully sets the record straight on some of the rumours at the time which some swallowed whole! I expect the Guardian has written a piss take which is only to be expected of that particular dreadful publication.

DrWatson

Who will be right for the job? Well, probably none of them. Cleverley had to avoid a lot of mud sticking about some dodgy financial deals (I thought), Jenrick has been angling towards being a leader for while - with no real substance, Tugendhat made a speech about having a military background, and "never failed in a mission yet", and the other one looks a long-shot as the Tories don't seem ready to pick a brown face as a leader?

If they haven't changed the system of letting Party Members have the final choice, that IS how we got Liz bl**dy Truss as PM, so their choice seems doomed.

Don't know where you've been but Rishi Sunak sported a brown face when I last looked. Whatever else you can accuse the Conservatives of, and there's plenty to choose from, they have elected women and a brown face to be their leader. It is disappointing that apart from two 'acting leader' white women, labour has without exception, elected white males to be their leader.

I couldn't choose the next Conservative leader, I think it will be a case of 'least worse' rather than best, and I'd place Badenoch firmly at the bottom of the list. The country needs a good opposition, but I don't see us getting one any time soon.

In the interests of a good opposition if Tugendhat goes I hope the more centrist and hopefully uniting Cleverly.

I dont want to see Badenhoch - I don't think she is a team player, her way or no way and too close to "Reform". I want to see a parliament where the nitty gritty of policies are debated and hopefully parliamentary committees where there is collaboration.

I think the rot set in when Johnson got rid of a number of moderate Tories, including Ken Clarke, Nicholas Soames and Rory Stewart etc.

POW! BIFF! SOCKO! THUDEROO! That just about sums the book up from the reviews I’ve seen, well done John Crace.

Back to the thread, the word seems to be that Tugendhat is going to be eliminated today, which is a shame, I think he would have made a good leader.

I saw the ITV interview and am not tempted to get the book 😀. BJ is a grifter of the worst order, and Unleashed (‘did I mention my book is called UNLEASHED??? Available in all good bookshops!!’). shows every sign of being more of the same.

While waiting for the outcome do read John Crace's hilarious two page summary of BoJo's book in today's Guardian - still free to access online.

If it came into the initial Truss/Sunak choice we'll never know?

Err surely Rishi Sunak has a brown face and was leader of the Tory party? Or doesn't he count for some curious reason?

I’ve just seen on Sky News that Mel Stride is publicly endorsing Cleverly. He had 16 votes when he was eliminated. The next elimination is tomorrow.

DrWatson

Who will be right for the job? Well, probably none of them. Cleverley had to avoid a lot of mud sticking about some dodgy financial deals (I thought), Jenrick has been angling towards being a leader for while - with no real substance, Tugendhat made a speech about having a military background, and "never failed in a mission yet", and the other one looks a long-shot as the Tories don't seem ready to pick a brown face as a leader?

If they haven't changed the system of letting Party Members have the final choice, that IS how we got Liz bl**dy Truss as PM, so their choice seems doomed.

...and the other one looks a long-shot as the Tories don't seem ready to pick a brown face as a leader?

... Rishi Sunak?

If they haven't changed the system of letting Party Members have the final choice, that IS how we got Liz bl**dy Truss as PM, so their choice seems doomed.

??? Aren't party members going to cast their postal votes between 15 - 30 October for the final two candidates after a couple more rounds of voting at Westminster next week?

In which case surely it was the membership who ultimately chose La Truss - MPs and party activists?

I think it will be Jenrick who becomes the party leader - or, as as he likes to style himself - Bobby J.

Who will be right for the job? Well, probably none of them. Cleverley had to avoid a lot of mud sticking about some dodgy financial deals (I thought), Jenrick has been angling towards being a leader for while - with no real substance, Tugendhat made a speech about having a military background, and "never failed in a mission yet", and the other one looks a long-shot as the Tories don't seem ready to pick a brown face as a leader?

If they haven't changed the system of letting Party Members have the final choice, that IS how we got Liz bl**dy Truss as PM, so their choice seems doomed.

For Maybee, possibly you cannot forgive Tugendhat, but it's Jenrick that makes the biggest point re ECHR.

I think Cleverley is the best candidate.

MayBee70

Interestingly Cleverley today admitted that he called Alex Cunningham a sh*****e in parliament even though he denied it at the time ( I even have a letter from my MP defending him and saying he didn’t make the remark). Although his argument is that he was accused of making the remark about Stockton and he says he was referring to the MP not the area which makes it SO much better .

Although his argument is that he was accused of making the remark about Stockton and he says he was referring to the MP not the area which makes it SO much better...

!!!

Interestingly Cleverley today admitted that he called Alex Cunningham a sh*****e in parliament even though he denied it at the time ( I even have a letter from my MP defending him and saying he didn’t make the remark). Although his argument is that he was accused of making the remark about Stockton and he says he was referring to the MP not the area which makes it SO much better .

I heard Tugendhat and Cleverley, then the final bit of Badenach. I like Tugendhat but he didn’t sound strong enough. Kemi B is duplicitous I hope the don’t choose her.
Cleverley was clever - rousing speech, reference to his interesting personal story and wife and ‘my boys’. His focus on positivity, belief and pride was good. If they’ve any sense he will win

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Tugendhat appeals to the closet Lib Dems in the Tory party.

I don’t care who wins (although Jenrick is right we have to leave the ECHR).

I’m voting Reform again. The Tories are pretty much offering the same old same old.

I don’t care who wins (although Jenrick is right we have to leave the ECHR).

Which will not solve the problem of "the boats" - which is why I assume you think we should withdraw from it.

For starters, there are other treaties and conventions that we have signed up to - so we would have to leave them, too.

... and, Rwanda wasn't the deterrent that people thought it might be - not according to The Home Office's own evidence which indicates that domestic policy is not the main driver that influences decisions about where to seek asylum. Not to mention that organised crime and human-trafficking can mean that migrants don't even choose their destination anyway.

And...

Flights to Rwanda would also not solve the current backlog of over 130,000 people awaiting an asylum decision. More people arrived via small boat to the UK in January 2024 than the estimated 1,000 people Rwanda could process over the course of the initial five years planned for the policy. (The Conversation.com)

That Human Rights Act has enshrined ECHR rights in UK law - which means that public bodies - our Police, hospitals, care homes, and local councils all have to abide by them.

If we leave, and ultimately end up with a government that wants to ride roughshod over our rights, then there will be bugger-all to stop them, and the above institutions and organisations would have carte blanche over our lives.

That’s an interesting observation FriedGreenTomatoes.

Tugendhat appeals to the closet Lib Dems in the Tory party.

I don’t care who wins (although Jenrick is right we have to leave the ECHR).

I’m voting Reform again. The Tories are pretty much offering the same old same old.

I don"t agree with Freya's conclusions, but I do think the post she commented on worth condemning for several very good reasons!

Freya5, I feel exactly the same as you.