Devon MP makes bid for Tory leadership

Central Devon MP Mel Stride has confirmed he is running to take Rishi Sunak’s place as the leader of the Conservative Party. 

The former work and pensions secretary is the fourth candidate to throw their hat into the ring and claims that he already has the 10 MPs needed to back a formal bid.

Other candidates so far are the former home secretary James Cleverly, ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick. 

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Stride said that the Conservative Party was in a “very difficult place” and that the Conservatives had “substantially lost the trust of the British people and our reputation for competence.”

However, Mr Stride said he was “In a very good place to address those issues going forward."

He added: "I am respected, I think, right across the parliamentary party. I was chair of the Treasury Select Committee, the leader of the House of Commons, all of those things are roles about bringing people together."

Representing the enormous geographical constituency of Central Devon, Mr Stride narrowly kept his seat after many of his Tory colleagues in Devon were defeated. Although Mr Stride has held his seat since 2010 and has occupied many high-profile parliamentary positions, he retained his seat from a Labour victory by just 61 votes.

The Central Devon constituency stretches from Dartmoor’s southern boundary in Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, across western Dartmoor and Okehampton and into mid-Devon.