Tom Tugendhat wins endorsements from prominent Tories Damian Green and Steve Baker boosting his Conservative Party leader hopes

Tom Tugendhat has received the endorsement of two prominent former Tory MPs in a boost to his hopes of becoming leader of the Conservative Party. 

Mr Tugendhat is among the bookies favourites to win the upcoming leadership election.  

Despite being from different wings of the Tory party: centrist Damian Green and Brexiteer Steve Baker have released a joint statement voicing their support for former security minister - Tom Tugendhat - in the upcoming leadership election.

In an article written for the Daily Telegraph. The two former MPs, who both lost their seats to Labour during the General Election earlier this month, have warned the Conservatives not to lurch to the right in the wake of their landslide defeat. 

Mr Green and Mr Baker said: We ought to choose to transcend old divisions of Leave versus Remain, One Nation versus Right. We cannot spend the next five years in recriminations over the past 10. We cannot spend our time in opposition seeking to expel one wing of the party or another.  

'We must recognise the dire situation we are in and reflect on why we are here. We will never rebuild the public's confidence in us if we continue to fight among ourselves.'

In a critique of the Tories 14 years in power both former ministers criticised the previous government for failing deliver in areas such as taxation and immigration. 

They said: 'We were too focused on ourselves and too focused on fighting each other rather than on delivering for the public.'

In a ringing endorsement of Mr Tugendhat, Mr Baker and Mr Green said he could 'deliver expert, positive and consistent leadership.'  

They also praised Mr Tugendhat, the former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, for his position on China and Russia. 

Mr Tugendhat is currently the shadow Minister for Security. He ran in the last Tory leadership election in 2022 where he was eliminated in the third round. 

The current bookies favourite to win the upcoming contest is Kemi Badenoch who is seen to be on the right of the Conservative Party. 

Rishi Sunak has vowed to stay on as party leader for now but it is understood that he could stand down in a matter of weeks to make way for a interim successor before a new leader of the party is crowned after the party conference in October. 

Of the 121 Tory MPs, other potential candidates for leader include former Home Secretaries Priti Patel and Suella Braverman. As well as the current shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly and former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.