After the election defeat, the British Conservatives are looking for a new party leadership. Who is running to succeed Rishi Sunak – and why the Tories are likely to move further to the right.
If Britain’s Conservatives are now choosing a new party leadership after their heavy election defeat, the appropriate ad could be: Party (experienced, conservative, with a miserable election result) is looking for… . After just two years, Rishi Sunak is giving up the party leadership – and the Tories want to decide who will succeed him by the beginning of November. The application deadline has now ended: six candidates have publicly announced their applications.
Former Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, who announced her candidacy in the British daily newspaper “The Times” shortly before the deadline, is considered to have a good chance. The 44-year-old is considered to be on the right wing of her party, similar to former Home Secretary Priti Patel and former Secretary of State Robert Jenrick.
Former Home Secretary James Cleverly is also running, as are former Secretary of State Tom Tugendhat and former Labor Minister Mel Stride. They are considered to be part of the moderate camp. Four of the six candidates will be selected to appear at the party conference at the end of September. In the autumn, party members will then choose between two favorites.
Three weeks ago, the Conservatives suffered a heavy defeat in the general election, losing to the social democrats of Labour. Now the party is facing a dispute over direction.
How a political scientist sees the situation
Political scientist Mark Garnett from Lancaster University expects the party to move further to the right. He says it is not necessarily important who will lead the party. “In my opinion, the Conservatives will move further to the right, regardless of who succeeds Sunak,” says Garnett.
The researcher believes it is likely that the party will focus even more on low taxes and so-called culture wars in a relaunch – for example, on issues surrounding gender identity, a topic on which Kemi Badenoch also takes a strong stance. The television channel Sky News described her as a confrontational crusader against “wokeness” – a buzzword that some people use, for example, when they feel that too much care is taken not to discriminate against others.
According to Garnett, Badenoch is the favorite in the selection process. However, she is said to have stirred up sentiment against Suella Braverman, which could possibly be used against her. The hardliner Braverman, who was previously Home Secretary, had abruptly withdrawn from the race. The party is also under pressure on the issue of migration and from Nigel Farage and his right-wing populist party Reform UK, who is pushing for Brexit and supports Donald Trump.
Finance Minister makes serious allegations
Meanwhile, the new finance minister Rachel Reeves is making serious accusations against the previous government. She accuses the Tories of having left her social democratic Labour Party with a massive billion-dollar hole in public spending. Reeves believes there is a “black hole” in public finances amounting to 22 billion pounds (around 26.13 billion euros). The previous government made significant funding commitments for this financial year without knowing where the money would actually come from, the minister said in parliament. The Conservatives, on the other hand, accuse the new government of wanting to pave the way for possible tax increases with their presentation.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
