Tom Tugendhat has announced he will run to be leader of the Conservative Party and insisted he can lead the party to victory.
The battle for the future of the Conservative Party officially began on Wednesday night, with the opening of nominations to replace Rishi Sunak as leader.
Tonbridge MP Mr Tugendhat has thrown his hat into the ring by saying he would be prepared to quit the European Convention on Human Rights to protect the UK’s borders.
He launched his campaign in the Telegraph, saying that the party would not be divided on “common sense” issues such as gender, taxes, defence and net zero.
He said: “We know that if institutions do not serve the British people and make it harder to control our own borders, then we will have to exempt ourselves from them, or leave their jurisdiction. We know what a woman is. We all want lower taxes. We all know national security must come before Treasury spreadsheets. We all know that energy security and household bills come first.
“These are common-sense Conservative positions. They are non-negotiable for me and, I would hope, for anyone else who puts themselves forward.”
He added: “I am not just running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. I am running to be the next Conservative prime minister.”
But who is Tom Tudgendhat and how did we get here?
Who is Tom Tugendhat?
Tom Tugendhat has been MP for the safe seat of Tonbridge (formerly Tonbridge and Malling) since 2015 having left a successful career in the military to enter politics.
He is viewed as a moderate within the Conservative ranks and has been outspoken, particularly on the military, and has called for greater spending on defence.
Mr Tugendhat identifies as Jewish, has led antisemitism marches, and has two children with his wife Anissia Morel - a French civil servant and lawyer.
In 2010, he received an MBE for his military work, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What roles has he had in government?
Mr Tugendhat was an influential chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2017 to 2022 and then became minister of state for security from 2022 - initially under Liz Truss.
He has assumed the role in a shadow capacity since the Conservatives lost power to Labour earlier this month.
While in a relatively minor role for now, Mr Tugendhat has not been shy about his ambitions.
He said: “That is what this leadership election is all about: winning. We can’t serve the British people if we don’t win the next general election.
“We can win it. We must win it. I can lead the party to that victory.”
Has he run for the leadership before?
Mr Tugendhat is running for the second time after his campaign in 2022 came up short when a crowded field ran to replace Boris Johnson. He came fourth overall.
During the election campaign he did not rule out standing again even at a point before Mr Sunak had lost the election.
And Mr Tugendhat has the backing of influential Tories Damian Green and Steve Baker this time around - the pair endorsing him at the point of his announcement on Thursday.
A joint statement from the pair read: “Our leader must be someone who can communicate robust ideas with resolve and humility so that the nation is carried, not divided.
“For these reasons – not despite but because we are from different wings of the Conservative Party – we both see Tom Tugendhat as the individual to deliver the leadership we need.”
Who else has announced Tory leadership bids?
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly was the first to announce he would run.
But more names are set to follow ahead of a long summer and autumn of campaigning - with the winner not set to be known until November 2.
Other names in the fray include Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Dame Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick although it is all speculation at this stage.
Victoria Atkins and Jeremy Hunt have both ruled themselves out.
