Tory faction lashes out as anger over James Cleverly leadership snub erupts

The Tory Reform Group - which represents centrist MPs - has hit out at Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch in a strongly-worded statement after the hardline duo made the final two

A Tory faction has erupted in fury after James Cleverly was dumped out of the leadership race.

The centrist Tory Reform Group lashed out at the final two candidates vying to succeed Rishi Sunak as the party veers toward another civil war. It accused Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch of using language and focusing on issues that are "far and away from the party at its best".

And the group accused the hardline duo of failing to engage with moderates within the party. It comes after Wednesday's shock result, which saw bookies' favourite Mr Cleverly knocked out amid allegations of tactical voting gone wrong. The vote by MPs means Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick will battle it out to win the favour of party members - who previously inflicted Liz Truss on the nation. The winner will take over on November 2.

Mr Jenrick lost no time in taking a bitter swipe at his rival, claiming the Tories need "a serious plan, not needless drama". But the drama hasn't gone away.

The Tory Reform Group said: "Unfortunately, we have been consistently disappointed by the lack of engagement from the two candidates chosen by MPs. Both have used rhetoric and focused on issues which are far and away from the party at its best, let alone the One Nation values we cherish and uphold."

The final two candidates were picked in the fourth round of voting by MPs. It was an extraordinary turnaround for Ms Badenoch, who came out on top - having finished third just 24 hours before. Ms Badenoch, who appeared to have blown her chances after a maternity pay gaffe last week, secured 42 of 120 votes, with Mr Jenrick just one behind.

Former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary Mr Cleverly - who came first in the previous round - fell short with 37. In his first major speech after the result Mr Jenrick delivered a savage dig at Ms Badenoch - saying the Tories need a leader who doesn't get "drawn down rabbit holes" or spend time doing "battle on Twitter".

It comes after Ms Badenoch became embroiled in a number of high profile spats with figures including Dr Who star David Tennant and fellow Tory Suella Braverman.

Mr Jenrick made the remarks amid a fallout after he and fellow hard-right contender Ms Badenoch made the final two in the battle to replace Rishi Sunak. He denied accusations of "shenanigans" after favourite James Cleverly was dumped out of the race on Wednesday. Pitching himself to supporters, he said the public needs to see the Tories have "serious answers".

Mr Jenrick went on: "They need to see that we are laser focused on what they really care about, not getting drawn down rabbit holes." And in another barbed reference to his competitor he said: "We exist to serve our country in government, not to do battle on Twitter."

Mr Jenrick attempted to sidestep a question on whether Ms Badenoch is an unserious candidate, saying: "I think the whole party has been characterised by disunity by petty squabbling and by differences that need to end.

"That is what the public are expecting from us right now. So if I'm lucky enough to lead the party, that is what I want. I want to heal the party."

Mr Cleverly's shock exit sparked suspicions of badly-executed tactical voting, with the Shadow Home Secretary's fans trying to secure an easier contest for their favourite. Mr Jenrick said: "There are always horse trading in these things, but I think in the privacy of the ballot box, my colleagues in Parliament chose me."

Pressed again on whether he'd had a hand in any "shenanigans" he said: "We worked relentlessly to persuade colleagues, to get the greatest number of supporters we could in Parliament. And I think you would have seen in the way that I've conducted myself over the summer, that we've worked hard."