UK Conservatives search for new leader as party grapples with election defeat

LONDON — Members of Britain’s Conservative Party gathered in Birmingham for their annual conference on Sunday, focused on selecting a new leader to revive the right-of-center party after its devastating election loss in July.

The party, which had governed since 2010, was left with just 121 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, while the center-left Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, secured over 400 seats.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who resigned after the defeat, remains caretaker leader until a successor is chosen.

Four candidates remain in the leadership race: former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, ex-Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, and ex-Security Minister Tom Tugendhat. The party’s new leader will be announced on November 2.

The Conservatives face a challenge from both the hard-right Reform UK party, led by populist Nigel Farage, and the centrist Liberal Democrats, who won 72 seats in the recent election.

The race has seen front-runners Jenrick and Badenoch appealing to the party’s right wing, with tough stances on immigration. Some within the party, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, warn against veering too far right, arguing that elections are won on centrist ground.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer has faced his own troubles, with declining approval ratings and the resignation of Labour lawmaker Rosie Duffield, who accused the party leadership of “sleaze and nepotism.” — Agencies