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Jenrick takes early donations lead among Tory leadership rivals

Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick has taken an early lead over his rivals in the race for donations, the MPs’ register of interests suggests.

The former immigration and housing minister, who has made tackling immigration the central plank of his campaign, has registered almost £93,000 of donations since the election on 4 July.

Kemi Badenoch, widely viewed as the front-runner to succeed Rishi Sunak, declared around £39,000, while Tom Tugendhat, the centrist in the race, has registered £10,500, just slightly more than Boris Johnson ally Priti Patel’s £10,000.

Former home secretary James Cleverly and former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride have yet to make any declarations.

While the donations are for general use, with only a few specifically labelled for leadership campaigning, and part of the cash or services declared will have gone towards MPs’ general election war chest, some large donations were received just days before polls closed on 4 July and afterward, when Rishi Sunak resigned as prime minister.

Some of the donation are for services, such as Ms Badenoch’s £5,000 worth of “strategic advice and training”, from Shaya Raymond, an image consultant.

NEWARK UPON TRENT, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: Robert Jenrick MP speaks during the launch of his bid to become the next Conservative Party Leader on August 02, 2024 in Newark upon Trent, England. After the Conservative Party's disastrous results in July's general election which saw them lose power to the Labour Party, Rishi Sunak announced he was stepping down from leading the party. The new leader will be announced in November. (Photo by Darren Staples/Getty Images)
Robert Jenrick during the launch of his bid to become the next Conservative Party leader earlier this month (Photo: Darren Staples/Getty Images)

The largest amount to Mr Jenrick – some £50,000 – came from the personal training firm Spott Fitness, based in London’s Covent Garden.

That sits alongside other personal donations such as just over £3,000 from the RH Group for catering and drinks at an event. James Sumsion, chief executive of the data analytics firm Makutu, is listed for a £2,000 donation to Mr Jenrick while International Export Packers Limited, based in Mr Jenrick’s Newark constituency, donated £2,500.

Former business secretary Ms Badenoch, who defended Mr Sunak’s decision to roll back on the government’s net zero targets, has also registered a £10,000 donation from Neil Record, the chairman of right-leaning think-tanks the Institute of Economic Affairs and Net Zero Watch.

The largest donation accepted by Ms Badenoch was £12,000 from Graham Edwards, who has donated £5.5m to the Conservative Party since 2011 and is its treasurer.

Other candidates are expected to declare donations before publication of the next register of MPs’ interests.

FILE - Britain's Secretary of State for Business and Trade, President of the Board of Trade, Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, on March 19, 2024. Six British lawmakers have announced they are running to lead the defeated Conservative Party ahead of a Monday deadline in a contest that will decide whether the opposition party tacks to the right or steers toward the political center ground. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Kemi Badenoch is among the front-runners for the Tory leadership race (Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

The Electoral Commission is expected to publish details of last month’s donations of over £1,500 to MPs on Tuesday.

On Monday, Matt Vickers, who had been serving as the party’s deputy chair, quit his post to formally support Mr Jenrick.

The Stockton West MP also serves as the shadow policing minister, but had to give up his role at CCHQ as those in party positions are required to stay neutral.

It followed Ms Badenoch missing a hustings in the North as she was away on holiday with her family.

“This process really matters – we have a mountain to climb and need a leader that can bring us back in one term,” said Mr Vickers, adding that he believed Mr Jenrick had the “clearest diagnosis” of why the Conservatives lost the general election on 4 July.

The candidates will battle it out over the next two months, with the winner announced on 2 November.

The Conservative Party’s 121 MPs will whittle down the number of candidates to four, and then two, who will face a vote of the wider party membership.

Though the vast majority of MPs have not yet backed any contender, and the competition is in its early days, Mr Jenrick boasts the highest number.

He has won the support of nine, compared with Ms Badenoch’s six. Mr Stride also has six MPs onside, while Dame Priti and Mr Cleverly have four each.

A number of polls of Tory members suggest it remains an open contest, with no clear front-runner.

The most recent, by Techne, conducted between 2 and 12 August, saw Mr Cleverly poll highest, at 26 per cent, followed by Dame Priti on 20 per cent, Ms Badenoch on 14 per cent, Mr Tugendhat on 11 per cent and Mr Jenrick last on 10 per cent.

Mr Jenrick and Ms Badenoch’s teams have been contacted for comment

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