As the six candidates vying to replace Rishi Sunak as leader prepare for the first round of voting by MPs, the lack of consensus among the party faithful suggests it will be a close-run race.
The East Midlands market town of Kettering is famous for its trusty boots, Weetabix and at one stage John Profumo. It is also a proper bellwether seat having swung between Labour and the Conservatives over the past 30 years. In July it helped form part of Labour's majority of 158. The Conservatives' worst defeat since 1832 has members in Kettering and elsewhere in the country trying to work out what went wrong and more importantly what next. The activists I met are certainly dejected.
And it begins today when the Tories properly embark on electing their new leader. Six candidates are vying to take over and MPs will vote for the first time today, with the candidate who receives the lowest number of votes eliminated. Another round will be held next week, to whittle the remaining hopeful's down to four. Those four will then appear at the Tory Party conference to set out their case before two more rounds of voting leaves just two candidates.
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