Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat enters Conservative leadership races
With several other contenders, what do his constituents think about his bid for the top spot?
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
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00:00I'm standing to lead the Conservative Party back to government.
00:04That means being honest with ourselves and the country.
00:07Teeing up for a Conservative leadership bid,
00:10Tunbridge MP Tom Tugendhat has made a big swing for party unity
00:16as he launched his campaign earlier this week.
00:19He already has the backing of some of the party's big political beasts,
00:24including former Deputy Prime Minister
00:27and ex-Ashford MP Damian Green and ERG heavyweight Steve Baker.
00:34His election agent and Tunbridge and Morling Borough Council leader
00:37Matt Borton says, for Tugendhat,
00:40it's simply a matter of integrity and ending Conservative infighting.
00:46Too often I was talking to people during the general election campaign
00:49who said the problem that you've got is for too long
00:52you've been talking to yourselves and not to the wider country.
00:56That's why integrity matters.
00:58That's why people having trust in our leaders matters.
01:01And that's why it's so important to unite the party and end the infighting.
01:05That to me is the absolute number one thing that we need to do
01:09in this leadership contest.
01:11And we need somebody who can unite around those values
01:14and bring the Conservative Party with them.
01:16The former security minister is quite popular here
01:19in his constituency of Tunbridge,
01:22getting around 20,000 votes,
01:2410,000 more than the nearest candidate.
01:28Given his personal mandate in his constituency,
01:31what do voters here make of his bid to become Conservative leader?
01:35I think he's a great MP for Tunbridge,
01:38but he's a Tory, isn't he?
01:42And I think he'll make a good leader as well.
01:44He seems helpful for everybody, doesn't he?
01:47I think he'll do a good job.
01:49As long as his interests and agenda sort of align with ours,
01:53then, yeah, I think we can get behind him.
01:56I think he understands people.
01:59I think he's got ideas that would work.
02:03And I think he'd be good.
02:04He can't be any worse, can he?
02:07Tugendhat isn't the only one throwing his hat in the ring.
02:11Ex-Home Secretary James Cleverley was the most senior Conservative
02:15to visit Kent on the campaign trail
02:18and is in the running alongside former housing minister Robert Jenrick.
02:22And ex-Work and Pensions portfolio holder Mel Stride.
02:26With the leadership contest not being settled
02:29until the 2nd of November,
02:31the fight for the future of the Conservative Party
02:33has only just begun.