Kemi Badenoch Most Popular Choice To Be Next Tory Leader

Kemi Badenoch has twice as much support among Conservative members to be the next party leader as the next candidate, new polling suggest.

A survey from the Party Members Project run out of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Sussex University, carried out by YouGov, asked 725 members for their views.

Once the “none” and “don’t know” responses were removed, Ms Badenoch had the support of 31% of those questioned.

She was followed by Suella Braverman on 16% and Tom Tugendhat on 15%.

Reports have suggested support for Ms Braverman among Tory MPs is waning, while Ms Badenoch is said to have dressed down Rishi Sunak and his general election strategy in the first Conservative shadow cabinet meeting.

The full list of results is as follows:

• Kemi Badenoch: 31%;
• Suella Braverman: 16%;
• Tom Tugendat: 15%;
• Jeremy Hunt: 12%;
• James Cleverly: 10%;
• Robert Jenrick: 7%;
• Priti Patel: 6%;
• Victoria Atkins: 2%.

It is worth noting Jeremy Hunt has already ruled himself out of the race.

The exact rules for how the next party leader will be chosen are yet to be established – and it is not clear what role the membership will have.

However, with Bob Blackman becoming chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, the wheels are now in motion for the process to begin in earnest.