Tom Tugendhat is the only candidate who can lead Tories to victory, says Matthew Scott

It is clear that we need new ideas. We need a leader with a positive vision for the future, who can unite the Conservative Party and the country.

I am proud to endorse Tom today because he is that leader: clear-eyed, competent, and fundamentally honest.

Tom has served the people of Kent for a decade, working hard to bring better infrastructure and services to the county. I know from the time I have spent working with Tom that he cares deeply about the people of Kent and understands our needs.

It has been my great privilege to serve as the Police and Crime Commissioner of Kent for eight years.

We work every day to prevent crime, support victims, and build trust between the police and the public. I know first-hand that slogans are no substitute for real policing.

Police officers and staff up and down the country work hard every day to keep us safe in our homes and on our streets. The unacceptable riots reminded us how precious public order is, and of the difficult and dangerous things the Police do on our behalf.

The riots were completely unacceptable and entirely un-British. Tom’s response was spot on: we need to deal swiftly with those who break the law and seek to sow disorder, but we also need to be honest about the wider challenges in our criminal justice system.

Labour’s ‘solution’ - to shorten licence periods and let convicted criminals out of prison - is an abdication of responsibility likely to end in tragedy. It also does nothing to address the root causes of crime, or to prevent recidivism.

Their decision to cancel the immediate justice programme, where those causing harm in our community would be made to pay back to their neighbourhood, also shows they have their priorities wrong.

We need a government that will help - not hinder - our efforts to police without fear or favour. Their top-down interference will put our British policing model at risk.

Thanks to Tom’s support as a Home Office Minister we have more police in Kent than ever.

Unfortunately, that’s set to change. Labour have made clear that I need to find £9 million worth of budget cuts to pay for their neighbourhood policing plan. Labour want to make it harder for us to keep Kent safe and prosperous.

We cannot afford a two-term Labour government. Tom is the only candidate who can lead us to victory in the next local elections and the next General Election. He can end the infighting and rebuild the trust of the public.