Shadow Housing Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is seen as a frontrunner due to her popularity with party members, is also set to run. Her campaign will be a repeat of her previous focus on telling the party’s hard truths in 2022, as she publicly criticised Rishi Sunak’s election campaign at the first meeting of the new shadow cabinet this month.
Tom Tugendhat, the centrist shadow security secretary, is also expected to run, as is Robert Jenrick, the former immigration secretary who has started to gain support from the party’s right.
But questions have been raised about the prospects of former Home Secretary Suela Breverman, a hard-line Brexiteer, whose leadership ambitions have long been clear.
Several Conservative lawmakers told POLITICO they doubt Breverman can garner the support of the number of lawmakers needed to get past the first round of the primary, since many of the people who nominated her to lead in 2022 are no longer in Congress.
Other contenders who have not ruled themselves out of the race for the ministerial post include shadow pensions secretary and Sunack ally Mel Stride, shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins, shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake and shadow House of Commons leader Chris Philp.
Please play nicely
Some within the party have expressed concern that this protracted battle could lead to fierce competition.
