Nigel Farage predicts Tory 'establishment' will try anything to stop one candidate winning
Two candidates will remain by the end of today in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of the Tory party.
Nigel Farage has suggested the Conservative “establishment” will try to stop Robert Jenrick from making the final two of the Tory leadership contest because of his support for leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Tory MPs will vote for the final time in the contest this afternoon as they reduce the field of three down to a final two who will then face a ballot of party members.
Mr Farage, the leader of Reform UK who has called for a referendum on leaving the ECHR, said: “Who makes the last two?
"Well, I tell you: Cleverly, clearly makes the last two. And in fact, you would expect, in policy and positioning terms, him to get many of the Tugendhat votes. So who makes it through between Jenrick on 31 and Badenoch on 30? Here is my guess.
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“My guess is that the Cleverly camp and the Conservative establishment will lend a few votes to Kemi Badenoch because they don’t want Jenrick - because Jenrick wants to do things like leave the ECHR, and that would never do.
“So that’s my prediction. That’s what will happen. It’ll be Cleverly versus Badenoch.”
Former home secretary James Cleverly looks all but assured of being one of the final two candidates after coming top of Tuesday’s third round ballot with 39 votes.
But just one vote separates Mr Jenrick and Ms Badenoch, on 31 and 30 votes respectively.
Both are seen as potential standard bearers of the right of the Conservative party, and only one is likely to go through to the final round of the contest, leaving them just hours to secure more backers from among their parliamentary colleagues before Wednesday’s vote.
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In Tuesday’s ballot Ms Badenoch gained two votes while Mr Jenrick lost two compared with the second round, which took place before last week’s party conference.
After that result Ms Badenoch’s campaign urged the Tory right wing to “coalesce” around the former business secretary, although a source in Mr Jenrick’s campaign said he was “in prime position to make the final two”.
Wednesday’s result could hinge on how the 20 MPs who backed eliminated candidate Tom Tugendhat decide to vote.
