Until a few years ago, I bet you’d never even heard of the 1922 Committee.
It is of course the Committee of Conservative Members of Parliament.
But given that the party is about to elect its sixth leader, they’re back in the news today and its chairman, Bob Blackman, read out the scores on the doors in the middle of this afternoon as to who was to be eliminated from the Conservative leadership race.
So, as predicted, Tom Tugendhat is out and as I said to you last week when I sat and watched very, very carefully the speeches that they all gave at the Conservative Party conference.
It was clear to me that Cleverly was the one that impressed.
I’m not talking policy. I’m talking about looking like somebody who actually was in command and cleverly was miles better than the others.
The big disappointment for those on the centre right of the Conservative Party, I think, to be honest, was the performance of Jenrick.
You know, if you go out and speak without notes and wander around the stage, you have to have the charisma to back it up.
And frankly, I don’t think that Jenrick had that. And that’s why his vote is down and bad.
The next round of voting is tomorrow.
Tom Tugendhat was eliminated from the race
PA
Who makes the last two? Well, I’ll tell you Cleverly clearly makes the last two.
And in fact, you would expect in policy and positioning terms him to get many of the two votes.
So who makes it through between Jenrick on 31 and Badenoch on 40?
Here is my guess.
My guess is that the Cleverly camp and the Conservative establishment will lend a few votes to Kemi Badenoch, because they don’t want Jenrick.
Jenrick wants to do things like leave the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) and that would never do.
So that’s my prediction. That’s what’ll happen. It’ll be Cleverly versus Badenoch.
That’s my view. Who do you think makes the last two? And oh, by the way, do you actually care?