During his concluding pitch to members at the Conservative Party conference this week, leadership contender James Cleverly MP urged that the Tories could reclaim power by being more “enthusiastic, relatable, positive, optimistic – let’s be more normal!”.
His performance was impressive, earning the longest standing ovation compared to the other three leadership aspirants who addressed the conference that day.
Many noted that Mr. Cleverly’s speech echoed one delivered by former UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
In 2005, like Mr. Cleverly, Mr. Cameron was viewed as the underdog vying for the Tory leadership against Conservative heavyweight David Davis.
Mr. Cleverly’s address was also geared towards shifting closer to the political centre.
He is not the only figure within the Tory ranks advocating this stance.
James Cleverly speaking at the Conservative Party Conference
Indeed, prior to the conference, former Prime Minister Theresa May made a similar appeal to the members, urging a return to the centre.
She reminded readers of The Times newspaper that her party had lost 60 seats to the Liberal Democrats in the recent election, contending that the Tories should focus on regaining those seats instead of being preoccupied with the challenge posed by Nigel Farage’s Reform party.
Additionally, many former Conservative voters supported the Labour Party in the recent election.
This has led some to argue that these “floating voters” should be the target for the Tory party rather than focusing solely on Reform’s base.
Broad coalition
Steve Baker, former Minister of State for Northern Ireland, also emphasizes the necessity of forming a “broad coalition”.
He gained prominence during the Brexit years as the chair of the euro-sceptic European Research Group.
Mr. Baker has endorsed Tom Tugendhat, believing the Shadow Security Minister is best positioned to lead the party.
“What we’ve witnessed in recent years is that an aggressive approach leads to failure,” he remarked.
He expresses regret over the discord experienced during the Brexit years.
Mr. Tugendhat is regarded by many as a moderate, one-nation Tory, having voted remain in 2016.
Steve Baker
However, he is not seen as a “compromise candidate,” according to Steve Baker, who believes that Mr. Tugendhat can effectively guide the “left” of the Conservative party toward the “free market right”.
Mr. Baker is also satisfied with Mr. Tugendhat’s stance on the European Convention on Human Rights, advocating for initial reforms, with a move to exit if those reforms can’t be realized.
Would Mr. Baker be open to supporting another leader if his preferred candidate doesn’t succeed? Yes, he affirms, stating that he hopes to see the party united and adopting a more positive outlook.
Wooing the membership
While former Tory Prime Ministers like Mrs. May and Ms. Cameron maintain that elections should be contested in the centre, the new leadership hopefuls are aware that they must win the support of the party membership to secure the top position.
The Conservative membership tends to lean right on the political spectrum, and attempts to appeal to them were evident during the party’s conference this week.
Robert Jenrick, a former loyalist of David Cameron and remain voter, spoke about the need to abandon the ECHR, and found himself in hot water after posting a video claiming that the convention compelled British soldiers to kill rather than arrest terrorists, fearing they would be released under human rights protections.
Former army officer Mr. Tugendhat dismissed these claims and demanded the video be retracted.
Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch, another strong contender, did not hesitate to reignite culture war discussions, criticizing “wokeism”.
She initiated the conference by writing in the Sunday Telegraph that not all cultures are “equally valid”.
However, there is speculation that some candidates might currently be catering to a specific audience, with intentions to redirect their focus towards attracting the so-called “floating voters” who may have switched to Labour or the Liberal Democrats in the recent election once the leadership contest concludes.
This may not apply to all the leadership candidates, but it could hold true for some.
When this theory was presented to Mr. Baker, he acknowledged the possibility.
Boris in the background
Next week, the field of four leadership contenders will be narrowed down to two.
On Thursday, the former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new book, “Unleashed,” is set to be released.
In it, he proposes that the question surrounding the UK’s allegiance to the European Court of Human Rights should be addressed through a referendum.
The last referendum in the UK concerned the decision to leave or remain in the European Union, a deeply contentious issue.
This serves as a reminder to whichever Conservative candidate emerges victorious that they will have figures like Mr. Johnson closely monitoring their moves.
Many believe that the next leader may not necessarily be the one who returns the party to power.
Should the new leader endeavor to make the party “more normal”, they risk alienating everyone.
Conversely, pursuing Reform’s voter base leaves them vulnerable to being outshined by Mr. Farage, who never shies away from contention.
The optimal path forward remains uncertain, and either direction is fraught with challenges.
