Ace Breaking News – Here’s the Latest in News & Views of Conservative Leadership Contenders

Conservative leadership 1) Badenoch: Not all cultures are equal

"There is a feeling amongst politicians from all parties that talking about immigration in terms of culture as opposed to economics is controversial. The fear of being labeled xenophobic or “culture warriors” leads many to say, “People don’t mind immigration as long as it is legal and those who come here work hard and stay out of trouble.” This is a shallow bar for deciding who comes into our country...A migrant can arrive with possessions and skills but can’t bring a new home, hospital bed, or school place. What they can bring is their culture. Culture is more than cuisine or clothes. It’s also customs which may be at odds with British values. We cannot be naïve and assume immigrants will automatically abandon ancestral ethnic hostilities at the border or that all cultures are equally valid. They are not. I am struck, for example, by the number of recent immigrants to the UK who hate Israel. That sentiment has no place here." Kemi Badenoch, Sunday Telegraph 

• New Conservative leader must end old obsessions to succeed – Leader, Sunday Times
• Tories can rebuild only with giants, not pygmies – Anthony Seldon, Sunday Times
• Serious, determined unity can pull Tories from swamp of defeat – Leader, Mail on Sunday
• Tories need to pick a new leader NOW and unite to hold Starmer to account – The Sun on Sunday

>Today: ToryDiary: Jenrick starts to close the gap with Badenoch in our pre-conference leadership survey

Conservative leadership 2) Tugendhat: This contest is about trust

"This contest is about more than choosing a new national leader or policy agenda. It’s about restoring that lost trust and gaining permission to be heard again. It’s about remembering what we, as Conservatives, stand for. From Churchill to Thatcher, our greatest leaders have understood that leadership is not about managing decline. It’s about confronting challenges head-on and offering a vision that inspires people to believe in their country again. The Conservative Party has always stood for something greater than itself. It is the party that has consistently fought to preserve the values that make this country extraordinary – freedom, opportunity, and responsibility. It led the fight against the forces of totalitarianism in the 20th century, and it should be leading the fight today against the forces of decline and division in our own country." - Tom Tugendhat, Sunday Telegraph

• Tory hopeful promising a ‘Conservative revolution’ in health, housebuilding and how families are taxed. But he insists some decisions are for parents alone – Interview with Tom Tugendhat, Sunday Times

Conservative leadership 3) Jenrick: I’ll cut tax and red tape for small business

"We need to free British workers from the reams of bureaucracy that get in the way. There is no reason for small businesses or sole traders to be saddled with the same regulation as big corporations with huge back-office teams. We need a tax system that rewards risk-takers, not punishes them. We should take advantage of our Brexit freedoms and change the VAT thresholds so that small businesses can keep and invest more of the money they make. We should increase the thresholds to £100,000, as recommended by the Federation of Small Businesses, which would allow tens of thousands of businesses to have an additional untaxed turnover of £10,000. That would allow them to hire more staff and invest in equipment that boosts our productivity." - Robert Jenrick, The Sun on Sunday

• Jenrick to give ‘rebel’ speech outside Tory conference – Sunday Telegraph

Conservative leadership 4) Ministers say Cleverly is the candidate they fear

"Ministers say James Cleverly is the candidate they do not want as the next Tory leader. 'He's the most likely to appeal to moderate voters,' suggested one, while senior Government sources dismissed Kemi Badenoch as a threat to Labour, saying she is 'too divisive'. Both are running to succeed Rishi Sunak, alongside Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat. The candidates will set out their stall to party members at the annual conference, which starts today. Mr Jenrick is the bookmakers' favourite after topping a poll of Tory MPs, although allies of Ms Badenoch say she is the most popular with members, who will have the final say once the contest is whittled down to two." - Mail on Sunday

• Cleverly is the one that can take the fight to Starmer – Andrew Stephenson, Sunday Express

Conservative leadership 5) Ashcroft: Don’t be gulled by Labour’s rocky start. The Conservatives have a huge task

@acenewsservices

"There is plenty of discussion in the Tory party about rebuilding, especially on how to ‘unite the Right.’ True, it will be hard for the Tories to win a majority if Reform continues to entice their former supporters, but it is important not to misunderstand that task. As in 2015 and 2019, the Conservatives win majorities when they attract previous Labour and Lib Dem voters and others who have never considered themselves part of the Right. We found switchers to Labour frustrated about the failure to tackle small-boat crossings, while just as many going to Reform were exasperated at NHS waiting times. Whichever direction they had scattered, former Tories told us that at its best the party stood for stable government and common sense, and were there for people who work and save and try to do the right thing." - Lord Ashcroft, Mail on SundayFindings from his latest book: Losing It: The Conservative Party And The 2024 General Election.

• Conservatives cannot win with their heads in the sand – Jesse Norman, Sunday Telegraph
• Tories must make the case for the freedoms we have almost forgotten – Janet Daley, Sunday Telegraph
• Core Tory values? They’re the last thing the next Tory leader will need – Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday

Conservative leadership 6) Party Chairman calls to reach out to all with Conservative values

"The new Conservative leader must make sure the party focuses on its traditional base rather than just chasing voters who defected to the likes of Reform, its chair has said before the Tories’ first conference since their crushing election defeat. Richard Fuller, the North Bedfordshire MP, who has served as interim chair since the election, will announce details of a review of the loss at the gathering in Birmingham, as well as structural changes to start modernizing the party...Fuller is ideally placed to understand the anguish of ousted Tory MPs, who lost their original seat in Bedford to Labour in 2017. He returned to the other constituency two years later. Asked why he thinks so many traditional Tories lost faith, he said: “They were deeply disappointed in the behavior and outcomes of the last five years by the parliamentary party. They felt that we were not united and that too often we didn’t have our eye on the ball of serving the national interest.” While a number of them “looked for anyone to register their protest,” whether the Lib Dems, Labour or Reform, a lot stayed at home and didn’t vote he argued." - The Observer

At Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency, we value transparency and accountability. We want to inform you that we are not responsible for any external content, links, or posts. Nonetheless, we are dedicated to providing exceptional services and sincerely appreciate your support. Thank you.