Four rivals in the British Conservative leadership contest laid out their vision

LONDON – The four candidates vying to become the next leader of Britain’s Conservatives began outlining their vision for the country on September 29, with immigration set to dominate the debate over the party’s future after a crushing election defeat.

At the start of the Conservatives’ annual conference in the English city of Birmingham, the four candidates, including frontrunners former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and former trade minister Kemi Badenoch, took to the airwaves to launch their bids to become the party’s new leader.

After their 14 years in power ended with Labor’s landslide victory in July, the Conservatives have begun a period of soul-searching. Most say a new leader must put an end to the infighting and lack of purpose that they say have led the party to its worst performance in its long history.

The leading candidates Jenrick and Badenoch placed a clear focus on immigration. Both said previous Conservative governments had completely failed to address a problem that voters said was further straining already struggling public services, such as health care.

Mr Jenrick told Sky News he would set “a legally binding, cast-in-iron cap” on the number of people allowed into Britain and the country should withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty agreed to by almost all European nations and some conservatives blame its failure to comply with deportation flights for asylum seekers.

Ms Badenoch responded that while numbers are important, it is more about integration and culture. “Culture is even more important. Who comes into the country is absolutely crucial and leadership has to start at the top,” she told the BBC.

All four candidates, including former foreign secretary James Cleverly and former security minister Tom Stimmehat, said the Conservatives needed to regain voters’ trust after squandering it in years of infighting and scandals. The next leader will be the party’s fifth since the resignation of former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2016.

The Conservatives’ annual conference will be dominated by the leadership contest, with all four scheduled to address delegates on October 2 before being whittled down to two in October. Members will then cast their votes and the new chair will be announced on November 2nd. REUTERS