Final Four Battle for Conservative Leadership as Britain Faces a Pivotal Moment

The race to lead the Conservatives narrows as Mel Stride is eliminated. Robert Jenrick leads, promising tough immigration policies. Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, and James Cleverly remain in contention. The winner faces a challenging path to unite the party and recover from its worst election defeat in history.

Four hopefuls remain in the Conservative leadership race after Mel Stride was eliminated on Tuesday. This contest is set to shape the future of Britain's once dominant party.

The new leader will succeed former prime minister Rishi Sunak, with the final ballots to be cast by Conservative members by November 2. The party aims to reverse its fortunes after suffering its worst result ever in a July election defeat. In Tuesday's voting, Robert Jenrick, a right-wing candidate who resigned over immigration policy, took the lead with 33 votes.

Kemi Badenoch followed with 28 votes, while Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly each garnered 21 votes. Robert Jenrick advocates for a strict immigration cap and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. Kemi Badenoch opposes a fixed cap and calls for reforming the immigration system and sacking officials reluctant to enforce deportations. The new leader will need to unite a fractured party and address crucial voter concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)