by Moderate Conservatives are threatening to cast their ballots after Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick were chosen as the final two candidates in the Tory leadership bid.
One supporter of James Cleverly said moderate members told him they were putting their ballot papers “in the bin” after the unexpected departure of their rival, who was considered the most centrist candidate.
Both Mr Jenrick and Mrs Badenoch are seen to be on the South side of the party. Mr Jenrick is vowing to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, while Mrs Badenoch stands against “woke” policies.
It raises the prospect of a damaging split in the party, with those in the middle feeling they have no say in its future direction.
It is understood that Mr Cleverly has no plans to throw his weight behind either Mrs Badenoch or Mr Jenrick in the near future.
It comes as a blame game erupted over Mr Cleverly’s shock elimination from the race on Wednesday. Furious blamed MPs for “free” in a misguided game of tactical voting, while others pointed the finger at Grant Shapps, Mr Cleverly’s campaign manager for tracking the information of his supporters on a spreadsheet.
A Cleverly supporter said: “The membership is very disappointed by the result of the last ballot.
“This morning I have already been told by a dozen members that they are going to throw their ballot papers in the bin because they are being denied their say.”
The MP said many were angry that Mr Cleverly had been sacked even though it was widely agreed that his leadership speech had gone down well among activists at the Tory conference.
“Not only did James have a good conference, maybe more importantly the others didn’t,” he said.
“When the party is trying to attract young people and women to vote for the party again, it seems suicidal to deny maternity pay, as Kemi did.
“When the party stands for the rule of law, why is there talk about special forces carrying out extrajudicial killings, as Robert did?
“Both of them had bad conferences and showed that they were not steady under fire.”
It comes as the Tory Reform Group, which represents those on the central “one nation” wing of the party, refused to back either of the two final candidates.
The TRG, chaired by Lord Clarke, the former chancellor, said it could not support either of the two remaining candidates because they had used rhetoric, which was “far removed from the party at its best”. .
The group describes itself as “the home of the One Nation Conservative since 1975”, and senior members include Sir John Major and Damian Green, the former de facto deputy prime minister.
In a statement, the group said: “TRG members were consulted throughout the process, and the results clearly show that neither candidate has received widespread support from the majority of our membership.
“They both used rhetoric and focused on issues, which are far removed from the party at its best, not to mention the One Nation values that we uphold and stand for. Therefore, the TRG board has reached the unanimous conclusion that we cannot endorse either candidate.”
Some of the MPs serving TRG announced their support for one of the other candidates.
Battle your boss
Nigel Huddleston, the shadow Treasury minister, is backing Mrs Badenoch, while John Lamont, the shadow Scottish secretary, has expressed his support for Mr Jenrick.
A source in Cleverly’s campaign said they believed he would take time to consider his future and would not be endorsing either candidate anytime soon, if at all.
Mr Jenrick and Mrs Badenoch hinted that he would be given a key shadow cabinet post if they won.
But one supporter said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes the opportunity to take time off the back benches.
“His wife has just recovered from a serious illness, which showed how precious family time can be.”
The MP said he was irritated by the way the other two candidates tried to paint Mr Cleverly as a “limp-wristed, flower-organised Defense Force”, saying: “He supported Truss and Boris.”
It comes as Mr Jenrick used his first major speech since his last two to suggest Mrs Badenoch would create “unnecessary drama” if elected leader.
Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in central London he said the Tories “are there to serve our country in government, not to do battle on Twitter”.
He said the party must show the electorate that it offers “a serious plan, not unnecessary drama”.
“They need to see that we are laser-focused on what they really care about, not being dragged down rabbit holes,” said the former immigration minister.
His comments were seen as a swipe at Mrs Badenoch who took to social media to attack her critics, including former Dr Who actor David Tennant.
Mr Jenrick also denied claims that MPs in his camp were involved in vote trading to ensure he made the final two of the leadership election.
He said: “We did not trade any votes. We worked hard to convince colleagues that we could get as many supporters as we could in Parliament.”
On Thursday night, Mr Jenrick won the support of Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg. The former business secretary said he was best placed to reverse the Tories’ fortunes following the party’s historic election victory.
Sir Jacob lost his seat in North West Somerset to Labor in July when the Conservatives were reduced to just 121 MPs.
Speaking on his GB News programme, he said: “I have decided to support Robert Jenrick because he understands the depth of the challenge facing the Conservatives and the urgency of doing something about it.”
The endorsement is a boost for Mr Jenrick as Sir Jacob is seen as a stalwart of the Tory Right.
Like the former immigration minister, he called for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and reduce immigration significantly.
