Tory MP Danny Kruger has said he believes Robert Jenrick will be able to bring Reform voters and those on the centre back to the Conservative Party.
Speaking on GB News, Kruger said: “All the candidates have got support among our colleagues, and whatever happens at the end of this, we're going to have to come behind the winner, and they're all doing well.
“But I'm pleased that Robert's come top again in the second round. I think it's because he's got two distinct advantages. Because of the position he's taken on migration - remember, he resigned over the Rwanda bill that I'm afraid, in my view, wasn't going to succeed in stopping the boats.
“He's demonstrated to those voters that we lost to Reform, that he understands how frustrated they were, rightly about the government's failure on migration in the last parliament.
“The other advantage he's got is as a very experienced minister, as a very capable and experienced parliamentarian, he can unite our party. He stands for the common ground that brings all Conservatives together, and I think his ability to win Reform votes but also to reassure our centre that he's a decent, respectable Conservative. That's why he's doing so well.
“I'm not going to make invidious comparisons with Rob's rivals. I think he stands for where we need to be, which is the right position on immigration, but also with experience in government.
“I’m not going to start denigrating other candidates. I think Rob’s the best of the candidates for the time we’ve got.
“All four people that are still in this race are very good Conservatives. They would be good leaders, and I am proud to follow any of them, but I think what's the right one for our time at the moment.
“I think the good news is there is going to be maximum exposure. The danger has been there was too much anxiety that they'd be disagreeing with each other in public.
“I think a bit of disagreement is legitimate, frankly. The party members deserve to see the rivals argue with each other politely on stage. That, I understand, will happen in some form.
“They'll have the opportunity to make speeches, they'll probably be interviewed, and there's going to be loads of opportunities to get out and about on the fringe around the conference.
“It will be what we really believe in, which is proper party democracy, with the members given the chance to interact with potential leader, test them out and have real conversations about the future of the party.
“I totally think this Labour government doesn't deserve the majority it’s got, that's for sure. It didn't win it, and you've seen from the way they carried on in the couple of months they've been in, how weak their government really is.
“The point that Rob has already been making very, very strongly is that they've lied to the British people about their intentions on tax and now on this pensioner fuel allowance.
“And they are clearly going to fail on the overriding mission that any government has at the moment, which is to get control of migration and to boost our economy, get productivity going again, reduce taxes to boost enterprise.
“Those are the things that I think as Conservatives, we should be most concerned to see happen. It's clearly not going to happen under Labour.
"I think Rob is going to be able to take that battle to Keir Starmer very robustly, while also recognising, frankly, the public don't really believe Conservatives, and we've got a big mountain to climb in terms of rebuilding trust in our party.
“I hope that they'll do it in a way that conveys seriousness, conveys our understanding that we've got to change. So we have to change the party. But I think we can do that and I do think the public will be looking for an alternative to Keir Starmer very soon.
“The public don't know what these candidates are like in that role, yet. Let's not pretend that we’re more important than we are, we've just lost an election. The focus is on Labour.
“They don't know these Conservative candidates well. What we've got to do, and it might take a little while, is to demonstrate we are a serious, sober, but very robust opposition to Labour.
“And I am confident that within a few months, we'll be in a position to properly get the public's attention once again and turn the focus on legislation.
“I think Rob Jenrick will be the man to do that. He's got the resilience, he's got the expertise. He's very, very good in the House of Commons, good in the media, and fundamentally, most importantly of all, he's got the right ideas.
“He understands how the country has changed over the last 10 years. He understands the realignment in our politics to deliver this huge vote to Reform while also losing votes in the centre.
“He's the man who can construct a winning coalition again. It is going to take time. It's going to take very hard work. I think he's the man to do it because the country urgently needs a better party than the one we're getting in government at the moment.”
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