Matthew Elliott was the CEO of Vote Leave and is a Conservative Peer in the House of Lords.
Since Parliament returned from summer recess, there’s been endless talk within its walls about the Conservative Party leadership. Who are you backing? Who do you think I should back?
You never quite know whether these are genuine questions, or arms-length whips gathering intelligence. Such is a Tory leadership election, where the MPs have sought to pride themselves on being the most sophisticated electorate on the planet.
Well, actually, I think this lack of transparency is harmful to the Conservative cause. One reason why voters turned away from the Party is because they saw us as scheming, self-serving, and obsessed with power for its own sake. So I want to be open about who I’m supporting.
I was tempted to sit this one out, because my energy is now focused on a non-party political charity. But I want to be honest: I deeply hope Tom Tugendhat becomes the next Leader of the Conservative Party. I have many reasons, but here are the top three.
First is character. A well-known polling question ahead of elections is: ‘Which leader would you rather have a beer with?’. A less frequently asked question is: ‘Which candidate would you trust to look after your kids?’.
Tom has looked after my two girls, as godfather to my youngest, and my wife and I know that he and Anissia would look after them as if they were their own children, were they to be orphaned.
But forget the fact we first met over two decades ago (and he still pops up as ‘Chief of Staff, MoD’ on my phone); how can I really vouch for his character?
Simple: the fact he hasn’t trimmed his sails to climb Parliament’s greasy pole (he would surely have held a Great Office of State had he done so). The fact he passed on drinking as soon as he became Security Minister (he wanted a clear head for emergency national security decisions, day or night). The fact he hates gossip, and always speaks about people as if they were in the room with him.
This is not to say that the other leadership contenders lack strong moral character, but I can’t speak to it. I don’t know any of them like I know Tom.
Second, we Conservatives need someone who can unify. Think about how Sir Keir Starmer won office: he spent two years sorting out the Labour Party, then two years appealing wholly to the country. Let’s be honest, the Conservative Party is split, not just down the middle, but into a minefield of factions.
I was a passionate supporter of Britain leaving the EU; Tom supported Remain. We kept in touch throughout the referendum. We went for walks along the Thames, not to talk about the referendum, but because we enjoy each other’s company, and agree on far more than we disagree.
And after the referendum, once the decision had been made, Tom wholly accepted it, and has consistently voted with the Conservative Whip on EU matters since 2016. No Parliamentary games, no shenanigans – just consistent support for how each leader decided to enact the country’s decision to leave the EU.
And in this campaign, I am impressed that Tom has brought together both Damian Green and Steve Baker in support. I’m impressed he’s supported by both Nick Timothy (a passionate Brexiteer) and Karen Bradley (who supported Remain).
But this isn’t only about Brexit: Tom has the temperament to unite across a whole host of issues. I particularly commend him for not supporting tax rises in 2021. He thinks for himself and can’t be pigeonholed.
Lest we forget, political parties exist to govern. When we assess the polling for each candidate, should we be looking purely at how they are viewed by Party members, or people who voted Conservative in 2024, or the electorate at large?
If we want to win, the latter figure is the most important one. Tom is the only contender with a higher approval rating than Starmer, and the most popular contender amongst the electorate at large. He is best-placed to get us back into power.
Now, I think it’s healthy for people to be open about their thinking in an election. Neil O’Brien’s support of Robert Jenrick is of particular note to me – I greatly respect the contribution he has made to public policy over many decades. I hugely admire Andrew Griffith as a businessman and defender of free enterprise, so his endorsement of Kemi Badenoch is a big commendation.
And having grown up in politics with Greg Smith, the fact he was part of Priti Patel’s team was a huge plus. I respect all of them for putting their cards on the table.
As for me, I hope MPs, party members and (eventually) voters across the country support Tugendhat. Not because he’s my friend, but because I believe he has the character, leadership qualities and ability to unite the Party, to rebuild trust with voters, and to be a great prime minister.
