Tory leadership candidates are not 'fruit loops', insist Scottish Conservative MPs

Andrew Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, said the idea the party was “lurching to the right” was not true. Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are battling it out for the top job after James Cleverly was unexpectedly knocked out of the competition on Wednesday.

Both now have to make their case to Conservative members across the country ahead of the final result being announced on November 2.

Mr Bowie, who is one of five Scottish Tory MPs and serves on the party's front bench as shadow veterans minister and shadow energy security minister, was quizzed about the contest while appearing on BBC 5 Live on Wednesday.

Presenter Matt Chorley said he had been “inundated” with responses from listeners following the latest result. One said: “When will the Tories stop picking leaders who are complete fruit loops?”

Mr Bowie, who is supporting Ms Badenoch, was then asked: “Just to confirm, Andrew, you don’t think either of them are fruit loops?”

He replied: "No, absolutely not. I can categorically confirm I do not think the candidates are fruit loops."

John Cooper, the new MP for Dumfries and Galloway, told the same show: “This narrative that Kemi and Rob are both extreme right is nonsense. 

"I mean, what we're talking about here, and the members will get a vote on this, we're looking for common ground and a lot of people are very concerned about immigration, but it's not obsession."

Mr Cooper added: "It's over now to the membership and I think this is the contest that the membership probably wanted.

"I think both Kemi and Rob enjoy huge support in the membership and I think this potentially is the campaign they wanted and neither of them are fruit loops."

Mr Jenrick is expected to make a speech about his campaign on Thursday as the final leg of the contest begins, and has thrown down the gauntlet to his rival to debate him on the airwaves “any time, any place, anywhere”.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said his plan for a legally binding cap on immigrants in the tens of thousands had Reform leader Nigel Farage “rattled”.

“He knows I am the candidate who will win back those voters we lost to Reform – something our political recovery depends on,” Mr Jenrick said, vowing not to “lurch to the Right or to the Left”.

Ms Badenoch has meanwhile called on Tory members to “go bold” and back her, as she said she could unite the party after 78 Tory MPs voted for other candidates in the last ballot of the parliamentary party.

The final round of the contest will now see Conservative Party members across the UK vote to select the successor to Rishi Sunak. The result will be announced on November 2.