Tom Tugendhat officially kicked off his Conservative Party leadership campaign today, promising to prioritise ‘the happiness and prosperity of the British people.’
During his campaign launch, Tugendhat, a former security minister, pledged a ‘Conservative revolution’ and stressed the importance of restoring integrity to his party. He spoke about using the party’s time in opposition to lay the groundwork for action ‘on day one’.
“The last great economic transformation that our country saw was in the 1980s – some of you will remember it well,” the Thatcherite-loving Tugendhat said. He went on to criticise what he perceives as the growth of bureaucracy in the UK, which he believes is ‘stifling growth and smothering opportunity’. He called for dismantling this red tape to enable the economy to ‘breathe free and make our country grow again.’
Tugendhat also promised to be receptive to ‘serious ideas’ that could drive economic growth, hoping to ‘release the brake’ and ensure the UK has the necessary skills and infrastructure. Drawing heavily on his military experience, he revealed his plan to allocate 3 per cent of the nation’s GDP to defence ‘to keep the British people safe and prosperous.’
Tugendhat opened his speech with an apology and a call for the Conservative Party to be ‘sober and serious’. He acknowledged that the party ‘owes’ members better and how ‘duty [has given] way to ego’.
With immigration shaping up to be a central issue in the leadership race, he pledged to reduce migration and expressed his willingness to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if it interfered with deporting ‘foreign criminals’ and if reforms proved impossible. He mentioned cases from Australia and Germany, where serious offenders had faced severe consequences.
He said, “The entire purpose of international treaties is to keep British people safe, not for us to worship international treaties.”
In the leadership contest, one of Tugendhat’s competitors, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, also advocated for leaving the ECHR. Jenrick faced subtle criticism from other candidates like Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly, who suggested Jenrick was offering ‘easy answers’ or ‘soundbites and quick fixes’ that wouldn’t be effective.
Jenrick defended his position, saying: “On illegal migration… if you come here illegally, you’re detained, you’re removed within days either back to Albania or to a safe third country like Rwanda, whatever is available in the years ahead. To do that, I have come to the conclusion that we have to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. I don’t believe it’s reformable.”
Tugendhat’s speech marked the last official campaign launch in the Conservative leadership race, as tomorrow Tory MPs start their first round of voting. The current field of six candidates will shortly be whittled down to four, ahead of the Conservative Party Conference at the end of the month. The candidates will be further narrowed down to two, who will then face a vote by party members. The new leader is expected to be announced on November 2nd.
While all candidates have the support of at least ten MPs, Robert Jenrick currently has 17 MPs openly supporting his campaign, followed by former business secretary Kemi Badenoch, who has secured 13 public backers. Tugendhat, with seven supporters, is tied with former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride and has one more supporter than James Cleverly, the former home secretary. Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel has five MPs publicly backing her bid.
