At a rainy Conservative party conference in Birmingham, the four leadership candidates – Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat – set out their visions for the future of the party.
Despite the party’s worst election defeat since 1834, the atmosphere was remarkably upbeat.
“I think it’s much more upbeat than I’d expected it to be,” Isabel Hardman, the deputy editor of the Spectator, tells Helen Pidd. “And you could say maybe that’s just delusion, maybe they haven’t actually adjusted to the reality. I actually think it’s because Labour have not had a good few weeks and Tories are now thinking: ‘Oh, we won’t be out of power for necessarily 15 years. We could actually have a chance of doing OK at the next election.’”
Helen speaks to politicians and party members about the decision in front of them, and speaks to Isabel about how the contenders have performed. And she asks, who would Labour be the most concerned about?
Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
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