London: Priti Patel has been eliminated from the Conservative Party leadership contest after the first round of voting. Patel, who served as Home Secretary under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was competing to succeed Rishi Sunak as the party leader. Sunak resigned following the Conservatives’ defeat in the July general election.
In the initial voting results, former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick led with 28 votes. He was followed by Kemi Badenoch, who secured 22 votes. James Cleverly came in third with 21 votes, while Tom Tugendhat received 17 votes. Mel Stride was fifth with 16 votes, and Patel ended up in last place with 14 votes.
The next round of voting is scheduled for next Tuesday, after which four candidates will advance to the Conservative Party’s annual conference at the end of September. Additional voting rounds will continue from October 8, narrowing down the candidates over three days until only two remain.
Members of Parliament will then vote to select the final leader, with the outcome to be announced on November 2.
During her tenure as Home Secretary, Patel was noted for her hardline approach to immigration, including her role in the controversial scheme to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. In her leadership bid, Patel had pledged to unite the party and prepare it for the next general election.