The Conservative Party in the UK is currently undergoing a leadership contest to replace Rishi Sunak, who stepped down as leader following the party's poor performance in the July 4 general election. The new leader will be announced on November 2, with James Cleverly being the first candidate to officially announce his bid for the position. In his campaign, Cleverly has urged his party to move past divisions and unite against Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He also called for more self-discipline within the party and a need to expand their base of support by appealing to Lib Dem, Labour voters, and Reform UK backers. Other potential candidates include former home secretaries Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel, shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat, shadow housing secretary Kemi Badenoch, and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick. The leadership contest will see Tory MPs whittle down the field of candidates to four by the time of the party's annual conference in Birmingham at the end of September. In a series of further ballots, MPs will then narrow the field to a final two contenders, with party members choosing the winner through an online vote that ends on October 31.
