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| Mel Stride to stand in Conservative leadership contest | Mel Stride to stand in Conservative leadership contest |
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| Former work and pensions secretary announces candidacy, saying Tories have ‘lost the trust of the British people’ | Former work and pensions secretary announces candidacy, saying Tories have ‘lost the trust of the British people’ |
| Mel Stride has become the latest Conservative MP to announce he intends to run for the leadership of his party, saying the Tories have “substantially lost the trust of the British people”. | Mel Stride has become the latest Conservative MP to announce he intends to run for the leadership of his party, saying the Tories have “substantially lost the trust of the British people”. |
| The former work and pensions secretary said on Friday morning he had won enough parliamentary support to run as a candidate in the leadership contest, which formally begins next week and will run until November. | The former work and pensions secretary said on Friday morning he had won enough parliamentary support to run as a candidate in the leadership contest, which formally begins next week and will run until November. |
| Stride was a relatively low-key member of the cabinet before the election, but came to prominence with a series of media performances during the campaign when many of his colleagues appeared reluctant to give interviews. | Stride was a relatively low-key member of the cabinet before the election, but came to prominence with a series of media performances during the campaign when many of his colleagues appeared reluctant to give interviews. |
| The MP for Central Devon told BBC Breakfast: “I’m fully nominated. I was nominated yesterday morning and my candidacy has gone forward.” | The MP for Central Devon told BBC Breakfast: “I’m fully nominated. I was nominated yesterday morning and my candidacy has gone forward.” |
| He added: “What we know from the general election is that we’re in a very, very difficult place as a party, and I worry about that because I care about my party and I care about my country. | He added: “What we know from the general election is that we’re in a very, very difficult place as a party, and I worry about that because I care about my party and I care about my country. |
| “We have substantially lost the trust of the British people and we’ve lost our reputation for competence, and I believe that I’m in a very good position to address those issues going forward. In terms of trust, I think [the party] needs somebody who is going to be able to unite the party. | “We have substantially lost the trust of the British people and we’ve lost our reputation for competence, and I believe that I’m in a very good position to address those issues going forward. In terms of trust, I think [the party] needs somebody who is going to be able to unite the party. |
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| Stride is the fourth MP to say he intends to run to be Tory leader, following the former home secretary James Cleverly, the former security minister Tom Tugendhat and the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick. | Stride is the fourth MP to say he intends to run to be Tory leader, following the former home secretary James Cleverly, the former security minister Tom Tugendhat and the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick. |
| Kemi Badenoch, the former business secretary, and Priti Patel, the former home secretary, are also thought to be likely to enter the contest, while Suella Braverman, another former home secretary, is canvassing for support. Victoria Atkins, who was health secretary in the last government, has ruled herself out. | Kemi Badenoch, the former business secretary, and Priti Patel, the former home secretary, are also thought to be likely to enter the contest, while Suella Braverman, another former home secretary, is canvassing for support. Victoria Atkins, who was health secretary in the last government, has ruled herself out. |
| While Cleverly and Tugendhat are seen as centrists and Jenrick has positioned himself on the right of the party, Stride is a less factional figure who said on Friday he would be able to unite his divided colleagues. As work and pensions secretary, he was seen as a loyal lieutenant to the then prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and spearheaded attempts to cut back on those claiming long-term sickness benefits. | |
| “People are not going to vote for a party that’s at each other’s throats all the time,” he said. “I am respected, I think, right across the parliamentary party, I was chair of the Treasury select committee, the leader of the House of Commons, all of those things are roles about bringing people together.” | |
| Stride said Conservatives needed to reorganise the party into a “fighting machine”, adding: “We’ve got elections coming up next year for county councils and so on, and I think I will be well placed to drive that kind of change as well.” | Stride said Conservatives needed to reorganise the party into a “fighting machine”, adding: “We’ve got elections coming up next year for county councils and so on, and I think I will be well placed to drive that kind of change as well.” |