Mel Stride Becomes 4th Tory to Enter Leadership Race

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride arrives in Downing Street ahead of a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Dec. 13, 2022. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Mel Stride became the fourth candidate to announce he was running in the Tory party leadership on Friday.

The former work and pensions secretary told “BBC Breakfast” he has been “fully nominated” as a candidate, joining Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, and Robert Jenrick in the field.

The MP for Central Devon said he thought he was the right person to “unite the party.”

Mr. Stride said: “We’ve substantially lost the trust of the British people and we’ve lost our reputation for competence, and I believe that I’m in a very good position to address those issues going forward.

“In terms of trust, I think [the party] needs somebody who is going to be able to unite the party. People are not going to vote for a party that’s at each other’s throats all the time.

“I am respected, I think, right across the parliamentary party. I was chair of the Treasury Select Committee, the leader of the House of Commons, all of those things are roles about bringing people together.”

Mr. Stride held on to his seat in the general election by just 61 votes.

Shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch, the current bookies’ favourite, and former home secretaries Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel are all expected to enter the race.

Shadow home secretary Mr. Cleverly was the first to confirm he was running, saying he was “grateful for all the support” and “looking forward to getting out and about over the next few months.”

Mr. Tugendhat said he believed he could turn around the Tories’ disastrous result to win an election as leader of the Conservative Party in five years’ time, but that the party needs to “be united” and “regain the trust of the British people.”

Mr. Jenrick’s campaign manager Danny Kruger said the former immigration minister has the “energy, temperament, and policy agenda to take on our rivals and lead us back to power in five years.”

Nominations close at 2:30 p.m. on Monday with contenders needing a proposer, seconder, and eight other backers to stand.

Once all candidates have been nominated, the parliamentary party will slim down the field to four, who will each make their case at the party conference, which runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 in Birmingham.

The final two will then be put to the party membership in an online ballot, which closes on Oct. 31, and the result will be revealed to the public on Nov. 2.

Rishi Sunak will remain leader of the party until his successor is in place.

PA Media contributed to this report.