Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat will be using the first Conservative conference since their party’s defeat to make their pitches to members on why they should succeed Rishi Sunak. The former prime minister has urged Tories to “learn the lessons” and “reflect” on their period in government. However, the first day of the party conference has already descended into bickering over statutory maternity pay and how long the contest should be. Amid all the noise, here is a short summary of what the leadership hopefuls stand for in policymaking.
Immigration
Robert Jenrick He would like parliament to set a “legally binding” cap on migration, with a hope of that being “in the tens of thousands of lower”. He resigned from his position as immigration minister in Rishi Sunak’s government last December, noting the Rwanda plan “was not strong enough”. Kemi Badenoch She believes that “not all cultures are equally valid” when it comes to deciding who should be allowed into the UK. She has said the UK should leave international frameworks such as the European court of human rights “if necessary”, but she insists there will be no “silver bullet” to solve Britain’s “broken” system. James Cleverly Cleverly also believes making promises to leave the ECHR offers the public nothing but “soundbites and quick fixes”. Tom Tugendhat Tugendhat has said Britain needs lower migration and has pledged to introduce a legally binding annual cap of 100,000 if he becomes Tory leader. He would also like to derogate from “certain aspects” of the ECHR, to leave parts of it, and to reform it.
Economy
Robert Jenrick Jenrick believes the country needs “a tax system that rewards risk-takers” and should “take advantage of our Brexit freedoms and change VAT thresholds” for small businesses. He has said “we should increase the thresholds to £100,000, as recommended by the Federation of Small Businesses, which would allow tens of thousands of businesses to have an additional untaxed turnover of £10,000”. Jenrick argues for a much smaller state. He very nearly indicated that he would accept a hit to the economy in order to ensure he could cut immigration. The leadership hopeful believes the fastest way for the economy to grow is to build more homes and infrastructure. Kemi Badenoch Badenoch says businesses are closing because “the burden of regulation is too high”. She said, sparking a huge row over the cost of maternity pay: “We need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions. The exact amount of maternity pay, in my view, is neither here nor there.” She has previously said Britain’s colonialism did not help the country’s economic growth. James Cleverly Cleverly hopes to increase housing supply, incentivise work, cut taxes and free business of unnecessary regulation. Tom Tugendhat Tugendhat has said he wants to see “the blood of the economy flowing again” and believes only a “Conservative revolution”, delivering “a higher wage, lower migration economy can do this”.
Foreign policy
Robert Jenrick Jenrick says the Conservatives have good links with the Republicans in the US, and noted how “natural” it would be for him to lean towards the presidential candidate Donald Trump. He has previously expressed his strong support for Trump but did not do so on the first day of the Tory conference. Kemi Badenoch If she were already Tory leader, Badenoch said she would be congratulating Benjamin Netanyahu after Israeli forces assassinated the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Badenoch believes Israel has a right to defend itself and says she could work with Trump or with Kamala Harris if she were leader, but refused to say who she would vote for. James Cleverly Nine years ago, Cleverly tweeted: “Dear Republican colleagues, please, please, please don’t choose Donald Trump as the front man for American Right-of-Centre politics. Please.” He has since been on a long journey, refusing to say he would vote for Trump but noting that his “particular rhetorical style” is effective. He also believes in supporting Israel against Hamas, and as foreign secretary has led the push in support for Ukraine. Tom Tugendhat Tugendhat has said he is a “fan of what Donald Trump has done” but has also refused to say if he would support his presidential campaign.