Top Tory calls for Rishi Sunak to stay as party leader until November as succession battle looms

A senior Tory MP has called for Rishi Sunak to stay as Conservative leader until the end of November as the battle to replace him takes shape.

Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said it is important to “run the contest long” to ensure leadership candidates “come under scrutiny both by their colleagues and by the party generally, and by the public”.

And he suggested the leadership election should be launched at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham at the end of September.

He told LBC: "The Conservative Party won’t get much of a public audience right at the moment - that’s what always happens when governments go out of office and are defeated - but it will at the time of the party conference, and I think the party conference is where those who have the courage to put themselves forward to lead the Opposition, they should come under scrutiny both by their colleagues and by the party generally, and by the public."

He added: "That requires the leader of the party remaining until, you know, mid/end-November and I very much hope Rishi Sunak will agree to do that."

Asked about the former prime minister’s appetite to stay on as leader of the opposition, Mr Mitchell replied: "I can well understand that he may feel he’s done his stuff, but I hope he can be prevailed upon to stay until we complete the election in the middle, as I say, in the middle or end of November."

His comments come as the official Tory leadership election looms, but expected candidates have begun jockeying for position.

Last week saw a public spat between front-runner Kemi Badenoch and former home secretary Suella Braverman.

Ms Badenoch had reportedly described Ms Braverman as having a “very public nervous breakdown” after the right-winger said the Progress version of the Pride flag represented “a horrible political campaign I disagreed with”.

A survey by Tory bible Conservative Home on Sunday put Ms Badenoch on course to be the next party leader. She had the backing of 26 per cent of grassroots Tories in the website’s survey.

Second favourite was Robert Jenrick, with 13 per cent, while Tom Tugendhat was narrowly behind in third. Ms Braverman is facing an uphill battle to win the contest, with a number of high-profile backers lending their support to other contenders and less than 10 per cent of Tory voters backing her, according to the poll.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly is also seen as a likely contender, as well as shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins and ex-home secretary Priti Patel.

Ben Houchen, who is expected to play a key role in the succession, said candidates are already privately contacting senior figures to garner support.

Lord Houchen, the sole remaining Conservative regional mayor following May’s local elections, said: “A number of the contenders have already been contacting me.”

“Over the coming weeks I will be meeting with them because they have asked to meet with me to discuss their intentions,” he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.

In contrast with Mr Mitchell, Lord Houchen said the Conservative Party conference “or thereabouts” should be the deadline for a new leader to be selected.