Featured Photo: Photo source. License. I edited a title on to the picture.
With the Tories getting ready to choose their next Party Leader, I thought I would go over the current declared candidates, including senior positions they have held in government as well as their stance on BREXIT. I have it as Part 1 as there are many candidates and putting all of them into one post would be madness, so we start with five candidates.
So, let’s get started, going from top to bottom in the order of when they declared to run.
Rory Stewart
Stewart is the Conservative MP for Penrith and the Border since 2010. He first announced his ambitions for running for PM on 2nd May, a while before Theresa May had resigned. He has been the International Development Secretary in Theresa May’s cabinet since 2019, he was promoted to that position in a cabinet reshuffle after Gavin Williamson was sacked as Defense Secretary.
He has also served as Minister for the Environment in the former Cameron government. He has also held numerous other positions including Minister of State within the Department for International Development and the Minister of State for Africa, both under the May government. He was previously Minister of State for Prisons before being promoted to May’s cabinet.
Within his constituency he has focused on broadband, mobile coverage, rural services and agriculture. He also played a successful role in saving Lazonby Firestation, Penrith Cinema and Alston Ambulance. He also successfully opposed wind farms. As Environment Minister he introduced the plastic bag tax which led to a major reduction in plastic bad usage in shopping.
Rory Stewart supported and voted on the Remain side in the 2016 EU referendum but says he fully accepted the outcome. He is one of the candidates who is against having a no-deal BREXIT and has also gave indication that he would support a citizen’s assembly as a possible solution of solving the current BREXIT crisis. He does not support having a 2nd referendum. Currently as of writing this, Stewart had the endorsement of two Conservative MPs, Victoria Prentis and Nicholas Soames, giving him what he required to run.
Other things he wants to do include reforming the intelligence agencies and defense services, doubling the foreign aid on the fight against climate change and also double the diplomatic budget but move the focus away from the Middle East and towards Asia and Africa. He also wants to build two million homes in the next 5 years and also end hospital car parking charges.
Esther McVey
McVey is the Conservative MP for Tatton since 2017, before that she was MP for Wirral West from 2010-2015, losing her seat to Labour in the 2015 election. She first announced her ambitions of being leader on the 9th May. She was the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in May’s cabinet from January 2018 but resigned on 15th November 2018 due to dissatisfaction with Theresa May’s handling of the BREXIT withdrawal agreement and deal.
McVey was also Minister of State for Employment in the Cameron government, she later ended up having the responsibility of the Health & Safety Executive removed after it was found that a demolition company she had directed had been in breach of health and safety regulation. Within the May government she was also Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household from 2nd November 2017 until joining Theresa May’s Cabinet. During her time as an MP she has had a particular focus on calling for increased school funding.
As of typing this, McVey has been endorsed by 5 MPs who are Ben Bradley, Phillip Davies, Pauline Latham, Andrew Lewer and Gary Streeter.
McVey is a BREXIT supporting Conservative MP and has also said she is willing to leave the EU without a deal on 31st October if no agreement had been reached by that point.
Boris Johnson
Johnson is the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip since 2015 and is also the former Mayor of London. He was also previously MP for Henley from 2001 to 2008 until he was elected Mayor of London. Johnson became Foreign Secretary in Theresa May’s Cabinet in 2016 after she became Prime Minister, he resigned on 9th July 2018 from Theresa May’s Cabinet alongside BREXIT Secretary David Davis after their dissatisfaction of May’s handling of BREXIT, after the Chequers meeting.
During Johnson’s time as London Mayor he was best known for banning alcohol consumption on most public transport, championing London’s financial sector, introduction of New Routemaster buses, introduction of the cycle hire scheme and also the Thames cable car. Upon leaving office he had a 52% job approval rating and only 29% disapproval, according to a YouGov poll.
Boris Johnson became the leader of the Conservative Parties Vote Leave Campaign before the 2016 EU referendum, being one of the Conservative Parties biggest supporters of leaving the European Union. Since declaring his run for Party Leader and PM he has strongly backed leaving the EU without a deal on 31st October if no agreement on a deal had been reached by that point. Boris Johnson is seen as one of the favorites to win the Conservative Party leadership election and become the next Prime Minister.
His other pledges include decreasing taxes, increasing spending on education and also increasing policing numbers.
As of typing this Johnson currently has the 2nd most Conservative MP endorsements at 26 behind Jeremy Hunt and just above Michael Gove… they are…
- Nigel Adams
- Stuart Andrew
- Jake Berry
- Peter Bone
- Andrew Bridgen
- Conor Burns
- Simon Clarke
- Nadine Dorries
- Nigel Evans
- Zac Goldsmith
- Jo Johnson
- Davis Jones
- Anne Main
- Johnny Mercer
- Amanda Milling
- Sheryll Murray
- David Tredinnick
- Anne-Marie Trevelyan
- Matt Warman
- John Whittingdale
- Gavin Williamson
- Mike Penning
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Andrew Rosindell
- Grant Shapps
- Ross Thompson
He also has backing from several former MPs/MEPs and also a Peers member. He also has an endorsement from Paul Staines, a right-wing blogger who is publisher of the Guido Fawkes website and Tim Stanley, a British journalist and historian.
Although unusual for a US President; Donald Trump also gave his support to Boris Johnson.
While Boris is said to be the favorite to win, it has been shown many times in Conservative Leadership elections that the favorite doesn’t win, but could Boris Johnson avoid this apparent curse?
Jeremy Hunt
Hunt has been Conservative MP for South West Surrey since 2005. He said on 24th May that he would run for Tory leadership. He was appointed as the new Foreign Secretary in Theresa May’s Cabinet in 2018 after Boris Johnson resigned the position of the handling of BREXIT.
Hunt has also held numerous other positions in both the Cameron and May administrations including Shadow Cabinet positions under Cameron, Minister for the Olympics in the run up to the 2012 London Olympic Games under the Cameron government, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in David Cameron’s Cabinet and later Health Secretary as well, both under the Cameron and May governments. As Culture Secretary in the Cameron government Hunt made it his goal to enable the UK to have the fastest broadband in Europe, although during his tenure broadband speeds did rise, it was mostly put down to customers changing broadband packages. Hunt also was behind local TV, allowing Ofcom to award TV licenses to a number of major cities. When Hunt was moved to Health Secretary some became concerned due to his inexperience within the sector and also his views on homoeopathy and abortion, overall Hunt was the subject of much controversy during his time as Health Secretary.
Jeremy Hunt supported and voted to Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum and after the win for BREXIT, Hunt supported a 2nd referendum that included options of remaining in the Single Market, but later changed his mind and fully supported BREXIT due to what he says was ‘arrogance’ of the EU Commission during BREXIT negotiations. Hunt does not support a no-deal exit, believing it to be a damaging outcome but has said that he would end up supporting it with a ‘Heavy Heart’ if no other agreement is reached on a deal.
He currently has the most endorsements out of the other current runners as of typing this, he has 28 MP endorsements that are…
- Harriet Baldwin
- Steve Brine
- James Cartlidge
- Jo Churchill
- Leo Docherty
- Phillip Dunne
- Mark Field
- Vicky Ford
- Mike Freer
- Roger Gale
- Mark Garnier
- Nus Ghani
- Robert Goodwill
- Richard Graham
- Oliver Heald
- Nick Herbert
- Andrew Jones
- Daniel Kawczynski
- John Lamont
- Patrick McLoughlin
- Alan Mak
- David Morris
- James Morris
- Will Quince
- John Penrose
- Mark Prisk
- Alec Shelbrooke
- Helen Whately
Matt Hancock
Hancock has been Conservative MP for West Suffolk since 2010. He was moved from Culture Secretary to Health Secretary in a Cabinet reshuffle after Boris Johnson and David Davis’s resignations over May’s handling of BREXIT. He announced he would run for leader on 25th May.
Hancock has held numerous ministerial positions under the Cameron government that have included Skills and Enterprise, Minister of State for Portsmouth, for Energy, for Business and Enterprise and for Cabinet Office Paymaster General. Under May he was Minister of State for Digital and Culture before being promoted to Culture Secretary in May’s Cabinet.
Some of the policies he has supported through parliamentary voting has included tuition fees, occupational pensions as well as raising VAT. He also does not support raising minimum wage as he does not believe it makes a different for low-wage workers employment prospects. He was one of the top supporters of David Cameron’s Learn to Earn initiative during his time as Paymaster General. During his time as Minister for Digital and Culture he focused on improving broadband speeds.
Although Hancock supports delivering the result of the EU referendum, he is against leaving without a deal on 31st October and has also laid into his rival Boris Johnson for dismissing the damage it can do to businesses. Hancock also wants freedom of movement for NHS doctors and nurses. Hancock also pledged to largely increase spending on education.
Hancock has received endorsements from 8 MPs as of typing this, they are…
- Bim Afolami
- Tracey Crouch
- Caroline Dinenage
- Damian Green
- Stephen Hammond
- Seema Kennedy
- Caroline Spelman
- Maggie Throup
He also got an endorsement from Rupert Harrison who is a British Economist. And an endorsement from the Tattersalls organization.
Thank you for reading Part 1. Part 2 will be up tomorrow and Part 3 should be up the day after that.
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