BBC”They all know it is the moment of truth.”By Wednesday afternoon the Conservatives should be a lot closer to knowing who their next leader will be – and the party’s conference in Birmingham, which starts on Sunday, is a huge and very public job interview.The common view among Tories I’ve spoken to is that none of the candidates – Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat – have dazzled, and one senior Tory describes the contest so far as “ponderous and lacklustre”.But there’s also the sense that it’s “wide open,” says another senior Conservative.They all still have multiple chances to impress – or disappoint.A Cameron-style speech?First, on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, we’ll kick off with interviews with Badenoch and Jenrick (we have already spoken to the other two in recent weeks, you can watch those chats back here).Next they’ll each be interviewed in the conference hall on Monday and Tuesday – a half-hour grilling followed by questions from the audience.In the fringes, away from the public glare, the four are expected to attend at least twenty events – panel discussions, Q&As and a blizzard of press interviews.Then their biggest test comes on Wednesday: a 20-minute speech that could make or break their leadership bid.”They’re all hoping to do the barnstorming speech that makes people feel, wow, that’s definitely the person’,” says a former minister – to “do a Cameron”.That’s a reference to 2005, when the Tories had been in opposition for years and the well known MP David Davis, a former minister, looked like the obvious new leader.But suddenly, young shadow education secretary David Cameron – who I remember catching having a nervous smoke outside before his speaking slot – turned all that on its head.His team had worked out he spoke more fluently and persuasively without autocue or a formal script, and he took only a few scribbled notes on the lectern. He wandered freely round the stage, telling the party it had failed and had to change from tip to toe.It was a huge gamble – and he blew the crowd away.Who’ll do it this time, whether they use notes or not?Getty ImagesThe general consensus in the party talking to multiple sources is that the front runner is Jenrick, the former immigration minister who quit government under Rishi Sunak.Badenoch, the former business secretary is close behind him.They are both now regarded as being on the right of the party, generally considered to be the comfort zone for the party’s members – “they’re not headbangers, they’re just both uber ambitious,” says the senior figure who’s been somewhat impressed by both of them.The backers of the other two trailing – Cleverly and Tugendhat, both more from the party’s centre – seem to think one will be booted out next round leaving the other to eat up their support and overtake both Jenrick and Badenoch.We’ll find out who makes the final two by 10 October, with the winner unveiled on 2 November following an online ballot of members.Right now, it’s fair to say that none of the candidates is causing wild excitement. And, as it’s polit …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnBBC”They all know it is the moment of truth.”By Wednesday afternoon the Conservatives should be a lot closer to knowing who their next leader will be – and the party’s conference in Birmingham, which starts on Sunday, is a huge and very public job interview.The common view among Tories I’ve spoken to is that none of the candidates – Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat – have dazzled, and one senior Tory describes the contest so far as “ponderous and lacklustre”.But there’s also the sense that it’s “wide open,” says another senior Conservative.They all still have multiple chances to impress – or disappoint.A Cameron-style speech?First, on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, we’ll kick off with interviews with Badenoch and Jenrick (we have already spoken to the other two in recent weeks, you can watch those chats back here).Next they’ll each be interviewed in the conference hall on Monday and Tuesday – a half-hour grilling followed by questions from the audience.In the fringes, away from the public glare, the four are expected to attend at least twenty events – panel discussions, Q&As and a blizzard of press interviews.Then their biggest test comes on Wednesday: a 20-minute speech that could make or break their leadership bid.”They’re all hoping to do the barnstorming speech that makes people feel, wow, that’s definitely the person’,” says a former minister – to “do a Cameron”.That’s a reference to 2005, when the Tories had been in opposition for years and the well known MP David Davis, a former minister, looked like the obvious new leader.But suddenly, young shadow education secretary David Cameron – who I remember catching having a nervous smoke outside before his speaking slot – turned all that on its head.His team had worked out he spoke more fluently and persuasively without autocue or a formal script, and he took only a few scribbled notes on the lectern. He wandered freely round the stage, telling the party it had failed and had to change from tip to toe.It was a huge gamble – and he blew the crowd away.Who’ll do it this time, whether they use notes or not?Getty ImagesThe general consensus in the party talking to multiple sources is that the front runner is Jenrick, the former immigration minister who quit government under Rishi Sunak.Badenoch, the former business secretary is close behind him.They are both now regarded as being on the right of the party, generally considered to be the comfort zone for the party’s members – “they’re not headbangers, they’re just both uber ambitious,” says the senior figure who’s been somewhat impressed by both of them.The backers of the other two trailing – Cleverly and Tugendhat, both more from the party’s centre – seem to think one will be booted out next round leaving the other to eat up their support and overtake both Jenrick and Badenoch.We’ll find out who makes the final two by 10 October, with the winner unveiled on 2 November following an online ballot of members.Right now, it’s fair to say that none of the candidates is causing wild excitement. And, as it’s polit …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
