Knives out for defeated Rishi, as Tory leadership race begins

The Tories today blamed Rishi Sunak for the party's electoral rout as Suella Braverman used her victory speech to kickstart her campaign to be the next leader. Mr Sunak is being blamed for the Tory collapse and is already facing the wrath of senior Conservatives, many of whom slammed his decision to call a July election. He is expected to resign today but could stay on as leader over the summer to stave off a civil war caused by the worst general election result in modern history.

And his former home secretary Ms Braverman hasn't wasted any time to show she is ready to launch a leadership bid during her speech after winning the Fareham and Waterlooville seat. She vowed to 'rebuild trust' and apologised for her party's failings, declaring: 'I'm sorry that my party didn't listen to you. The Conservative Party has let you down. You, the great British people, voted for us over 14 years and we did not keep our promises. I will do everything in my power to rebuild trust. We need to listen to you, you have spoken to us very clearly'.

Ms Braverman is fourth favourite to be the next Tory leader, according to bookmakers. Kemi Badenoch is favourite, followed by Priti Patel and centrist Tory Tom Tugendhat. James Cleverly, who held his Essex seat, is next before Nigel Farage, who was elected as a Reform MP for the first time today. Amongst those humiliated was Liz Truss, who lost her seat but had been tipped to launch another leadership bid had she held South West Norfolk. Grant Shapps said his party's troubles had turned into an endless 'soap opera' and said the Conservatives had 'lost' the election rather than Labour winning it having 'tried the patience' of the public by being divided.

Penny Mordaunt said the Tories had thrown away the public's trust and lost sight of the public's values. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who lost his seat, was amongst those who blamed the ousting of Boris Johnson for the party's electoral drubbing while James Cleverly appeared to take aim at the Tory's Rwanda policy, saying his party had pursued 'thin solutions to challenging and complex problems'. Outgoing Home Secretary Mr Cleverly said: 'This has been a very difficult night for my party and losing the position of government of this country is painful, but it is the nature of our democracy that it happens. And when it happens it is incumbent upon I suppose all parties, but particularly the party leaving government, to listen carefully to what the voters are telling us.'

He added: 'I am not going to rush to any quick judgments. I think the right thing to do is be thoughtful and take a short period of time to really assess what the voters are telling us, but it is clear that, when you see the vote share of the traditional main parties of government, that many voters are disillusioned with all of us. And we should take that on board. I think it is also right that we have the humility to recognise that there is nothing honourable in presenting simple and thin solutions to challenging and complex problems, and the world is a difficult and dangerous place, and we have to respond to that.'

Penny Mordaunt was set to run for the party leadership again had she managed to keep her Portsmouth North seat - but she lost by 780 votes. She said: 'Tonight, the Conservative Party has taken a battering because it failed to honour the trust that people had placed in it. You can speak all you like of security and freedom, but you can't have either if you are afraid. Afraid about the cost-of-living or accessing healthcare, or whether the responsibility you shoulder will be recognised and rewarded. That fear steals the future, and it only makes the present matter and that is why we lost.'

Mordaunt added: 'Our renewal as a party and a country will not be achieved by us talking to an ever smaller slice of ourselves but being guided by the people of our country. And if we want again to be the natural party of government, then our values must be the people's. I've lost many good colleagues tonight but I hope that like me they intend to carry on serving their communities with even stronger heart, our country needs all of us.'

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, in a speech after his loss was announced in Welwyn Hatfield, said he had the 'honour to serve in more cabinet posts than most'. He criticised the Tories' 'inability to iron out their differences' amid an endless 'soap opera'. He added: 'There's a danger that we now go off on some tangent condemning the public' to a 'lacklustre' opposition. Mr Shapps warned: 'We should be clear about what went wrong and put it right.'

The party has been routed by Labour and a jubilant Sir Keir Starmer, who will be the next Prime Minister after his party won a landslide with a massive helping hand from Reform and the Liberal Democrats. Sir Keir trumpeted his victory at a rally in central London after the party formally crested the 325 seats needed to control the Commons. Last night sources suggested Rishi Sunak would do 'whatever is best' for the party to ensure stability through a leadership contest – likely to finish in September or October.

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