The Conservative leadership contest has been whittled down to four candidates after former cabinet minister Mel Stride was knocked out in a vote of Tory MPs. The former immigration minister Robert Jenrick finished top with 33 votes, with Kemi Badenoch second on 28 votes. James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat got 21 votes each from Tory MPs, leaving Mel Stride with the fewest votes on 16.
There will be further voting by MPs after the party’s conference next month to select the final two to be put to a vote of Tory members, who get the final say over who will be the new leader.Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Stride said: “Out of the contest but really enjoyed the journey.
“Met so many wonderful people. Our party’s values still run deep and strong. In time we will prevail. Thank you to everyone who had a kind or positive word for me along the way. The leadership contest winner will replace former prime minister Rishi Sunak, who stood down as party leader after leading the Conservatives to their worst performance at a general election in July.
Former home secretary Priti Patel went out in the first round of voting by Tory MPs last week. In the second round, Jenrick and Badenoch slightly increased their vote shares, while Cleverly stayed on 21 and Tugendhat added four to his tally.
Stride, former work and pensions secretary, was a loyal ally of Sunak when the Tories were in power and was often seen defending his decisions in TV interviews. Now shadow work and pensions secretary, he had tried to position himself as a steady hand who could restore the credibility of the Conservative Party after its historic defeat in the general election. Stride’s leadership platform offered to unite the party behind Conservative values and win back the public’s trust.
Source: BBC
In other news – Tyrese Gibson lands in jail over child support
Gibson, who shares a 5-year-old daughter named Soraya with ex-wife Samantha Lee, was held in contempt of court for charges of unpaid child support in Judge Kevin Farmer’s court in Fulton Country.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a judge ordered Gibson to pay upwards of $73,000 to his former spouse within the next 48 hours to avoid jail time in a contentious child support hearing. Read more
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