Tom Tugendhat has said the Conservative Party needs to rediscover its “moral leadership”.
Tugendhat, the shadow security minister, is widely thought to be preparing for a tilt at the Conservative leadership, having refused to rule out running for his party’s top job during the election campaign.
According to a recent Telegraph report, the Tugendhat has since set up a campaign group, consisting of both current and former Conservative politicians.
The former security minister, who is on the party’s moderate wing, came fifth in the race to succeed Boris Johnson in the Conservative Party’s first leadership contest of 2022, when he ran on the promise of a “fresh start”.
According to further Telegraph reporting, Tugendhat has now told a summer drinks reception that the Conservative Party must be “bold and courageous” in proffering solutions to Britain’s problems.
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The event, hosted by the centrist Tory Reform Group on Tuesday evening, saw Tugendhat urge colleagues to depart “where necessary from the doctrines of the past”.
Tugendhat told Conservative supporters “We must be willing to ask ourselves tough questions about how our economy has failed to deliver growth and rising living standards for families.
“And we must be prepared to be bold and courageous in our solutions, departing where necessary from the doctrines of the past. We need to rediscover the strength and moral leadership that defines our party at its best, so we can unite our party — and the country.”
It came as Chris Philp, the shadow leader of the House, appeared to rule himself out of the running to be the next Conservative Party leader, telling Sky News: “I haven’t really given that any thought.”
Philp, who is a recurrent media performer for the Conservatives, said that he has “got no plans at the moment [to run]”.
Earlier this month, asked whether he would run for the Conservative leadership by the Evening Standard newspaper, Philp hinted at a possible challenge.
Having held his seat of Croydon South on election night, Philp said: “I haven’t even thought about [a leadership challenge], let’s just see how the dust settles. But who knows?”
Meanwhile, former home secretary Priti Patel is widely expected to join the race to become Conservative leader, pitching herself as a unity candidate from the party right.
According to a report in the Guardian, Patel, who retained her seat of Witham in Essex earlier this month with a reduced majority of 5,145, has formed a campaign team funded by Conservative donors, which includes former advisers and CCHQ staff.
The paper reports she is expected to announce her intention to enter the race by the end of next week.
Patel has been an MP since 2010 and served as international development secretary under Theresa May and home secretary under Boris Johnson.
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