JAMES CLEVERLY surged into the lead in the Tory leadership race today, building on an impressive turn as the “normal” candidate at the party conference.

The former foreign and home secretary leapt to first place from joint third, as ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat was eliminated in the latest round of voting by Conservative MPs.

Mr Cleverly secured the backing of 39 MPs, ahead of Robert Jenrick on 31 and Kemi Badenoch on 30. Mr Tugendhat got just 20 votes.

The result is a particular blow to former frontrunner Mr Jenrick, who secured two fewer votes than in the previous round after a bad party conference.

He is now locked in a struggle with Ms Badenoch as to who will be the standard-bearer of the party’s hard right in the decisive ballot of Tory Party members. 

They have vied with each other in pro-Israel passion and outlandish policy proposals.

Mr Cleverly is likely to get most of Mr Tugendhat’s support in the final MPs’ vote tomorrow and will therefore be on the ballot paper sent to the membership.

According to a Conservative Home survey of party members, 55 per cent were more likely to vote for Mr Cleverly after the Tory conference, with only 14 per cent less likely.

Mr Jenrick, who arrived in Birmingham the favourite, lost support, with 43 per cent turned off and only 23 per cent more likely to back him.

A Cleverly leadership would pose the biggest threat to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s floundering administration, but Tory members usually prefer the most right-wing candidate available.