Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has voiced concerns about the potential length of the upcoming Conservative Party leadership contest, calling it a “waste of time” and cautioning against appearing self-indulgent. Houchen, the most senior Conservative in office, stressed that the party already has a clear understanding of the likely candidates and sees no need for the contest to extend much beyond the party conference in October.
In a recent interview on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg program, Houchen stated, “If we navel-gaze for too long, that’s going to turn off the public even more, because it again feeds into that perception that we’re more concerned about the ongoings of the Conservative party rather than what the public care about, which is: how do we help improve their lives?”
Currently, no candidates have formally declared their intention to run, but several potential contenders are privately gathering support. These include former Home Secretaries Priti Patel and James Cleverly, former Business Secretary Robert Jenrick, former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, and former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who has been named as the favorite by several polls.
Houchen noted that he has been contacted by several potential candidates but has not yet decided whom to endorse. He emphasized the need for a swift and efficient leadership contest to avoid prolonged internal focus that could alienate the public. Some MPs and former MPs have suggested a longer period of introspection, potentially up to six months, but Houchen believes a quicker resolution is essential.
“We do need to get there relatively quickly, because without a successful and competent opposition, I think parliament, in and of itself, starts to break down, doesn’t work as effectively as it could do,” Houchen remarked. “We need to make sure we find the right leader to navigate us through what is going to be a very, very difficult time to try and unite the party.”
Houchen suggested that the party conference should be the deadline for appointing a new leader. “I think certainly in the first half of October, we need to be getting into a place where we do have a leader in place,” he said. He dismissed the idea of a lengthy and detailed process, stating, “We roughly know where they stand in the Conservative party spectrum … But the idea we need a long and protracted process that gets into some sort of existential crisis about what the Conservative party stands for and what these leadership contenders stand for would be a waste of time.”
Having previously supported Rishi Sunak’s leadership campaign and being close to Boris Johnson, Houchen remains undecided about his endorsement for the upcoming contest. “Absolutely, a number of the contenders have already been contacting me. And over the coming weeks I’ll be meeting with them because they’ve asked to meet with me to discuss their intentions but we’ll have to wait and see what happens,” he said.
A recent poll of ConservativeHome readers placed Kemi Badenoch as the favorite, followed by Robert Jenrick, who has garnered significant support from MPs. Other notable figures include Tom Tugendhat and Priti Patel, although Patel currently has limited backing.
As the Conservative Party prepares for this critical leadership contest, Houchen’s call for a timely and focused approach reflects the urgency of restoring public confidence and effectively addressing the party’s future direction.
