- author, Katherine Armstrong
- role, BBC News
Priti Patel said she could unite the Conservative Party and make it “a winning machine again” when she announced her candidacy for leadership.
The former home secretary said his political experience would enable him to “reinvigorate” the party after its recent electoral defeat.
“I have done this for over 30 years serving the party both in government and opposition, and we can position ourselves to win the next general election.”
Ms Pretty is the first woman to run to succeed Rishi Sunak, joining James Cleverley, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride.
The 52-year-old had been widely expected to run for the leadership, and others expected to join him but who have yet to declare their intentions include shadow communities secretary Kemi Badenoch and fellow former home secretary Suella Braverman.
Ms Pretty has been a Member of Parliament since stepping down as Home Secretary in 2022 following the resignation of her ally, Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
She has been a harsh critic of the Conservative leadership in recent years, blaming them for the party’s decline in political support that led to its historic election defeat in July.
“It is not our heroic members who have failed, it is politicians who have distracted from public service,” she said Saturday.
“It’s time to put unity over personal vendettas, country over party, and results over self-interest.”
Priti added that the difference between her and other leadership candidates is that she will reward party members for their dedication by giving them more of a say in the party.
She also said she could reverse the party’s fortunes by focusing on conservative policies on issues such as law and order, immigration and health care.
“Now we must translate our conservative values into strong policies that will bring positive change to people across our country.”
Ms Pretty, who retained her Witham, Essex, seat in the recent general election, is a eurosceptic and was a leading figure in the Leave campaign during the EU referendum.
The lawmaker has also faced allegations of bullying. A Cabinet Office investigation into his conduct in 2020 found he had “unintentionally” breached the ministerial code in his behaviour towards civil servants.
The government’s independent adviser on standards said at the time that her “behaviour at times amounted to bullying”.
Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, said Ms Priti had not breached the ministerial code and would remain in her role as home secretary.
He bestowed her the title of Dame last year as a retirement honour.
Ms Pretty also served as International Development Secretary in Theresa May’s government and as Lord Hague’s press secretary from 1997 to 2000 after he became Conservative leader.
Rishi Sunak will remain leader of the Conservative Party until a successor is announced.
The process to select a successor will see Conservative lawmakers narrow it down to four candidates who can secure enough support to be elected by the party’s annual conference in Birmingham at the end of September.
Lawmakers will then narrow the field to two final candidates in a series of further votes, with party members then choosing the winner.
Online voting ends on October 31st, with results announced two days later on November 2nd – three days before the US presidential election.
