As the race to replace Rishi Sunak grew more competitive, the senior Conservative MP pointed the finger at the politicians who “fell out and left us short” rather than the “heroic” party members for their worst-ever loss on July 4.
After Mel Stride, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, and Tom Tugendhat officially announced their candidacies, Dame Priti is the fifth candidate and the first woman to do so.
“I am standing to be the new leader of the Conservative Party,” Dame Priti wrote in an announcement about her choice on X.
I have the ability to lead us in opposition, bring our party together, and prepare us for the upcoming election with power, unity, and expertise.”
She emphasized that she had the knowledge and tenacity to bring the party together after the unrest and acrimonious internal strife that plagued the Tories during their time in power.
Dame Priti stated that the Conservatives must not allow “a soap opera of finger-pointing and self-indulgence” to divert them from their objective of winning the next election, even as she acknowledged that the party should consider what went wrong in the polls that resulted in the party having just 121 MPs at Westminster.
