Who is the favourite to be the next Tory leader? Latest odds

Tory leadership hopefuls have laid out their plans for immigration as the Conservative Party conference gets underway in Birmingham.

Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly will be drumming up support in the contest, which is due to declare a winner at the start of November.

Finishing top of the two ballots of MPs held so far, Jenrick has said that he wants Parliament to set a “legally binding” cap on migration, while Badenoch, a favourite among grassroots members, has said the UK needs “to make sure we uphold our values in this country”.

After making their cases to the party at the conference, MPs will carry out further rounds of voting to select two final candidates for party members to choose between, with the final result then announced on 2 November.

Here, Yahoo News UK takes a look at the four remaining candidates and their odds of winning the contest, according to betting odds website Oddschecker.

Robert Jenrick (8/11)

Jenrick, the former immigration minister who has topped both opening rounds of the contest to put himself in pole position for the top job, sits on the right of the party.

He resigned from his government post in December, claiming Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy “did not go far enough”.

He told the BBC the Tories lost the election because they failed to deliver on “crucial issues” such as immigration, adding that the party should be “repenting” for its mistakes.

Vowing to commit to getting immigration numbers down on the opening day of the conference, he told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “I do think we have to make clear that, we’re going to do this this time."

He proposed a legally binding cap on numbers, which would have to be approved by Parliament, adding: “I don’t agree that the age of mass migration has made our country richer... This has not been a period of record growth, record productivity - far from it.”

Jenrick also said “we will never secure our borders" or get "dangerous criminals and terrorists out of our country" unless the UK leaves the European Convention on Human Rights”.

Seat: Jenrick held his seat in Newark with 20,968 votes to the Labour candidate's 17,396.

• Read more: 'My party need decisive change - and Robert Jenrick can deliver it' (Telegraph opinion)

Kemi Badenoch (9/4)

Kemi Badenoch was able to back up her claims of "huge support" for her leadership campaign with runner-up finishes in the opening two rounds of the contest.

Popular with the Tory grassroots, the current shadow housing secretary ran unsuccessfully for the party leadership in 2022, but has put herself in a better position this time around.

After ending the first round of voting with the backing of 22 Tory MPs, she added another six backers for the follow up.

Appointed business secretary by Sunak, Badenoch has also served as women and equalities minister and vowed to change the Equality Act to rewrite the definition of sex and allow organisations to bar transgender women from single-sex spaces.

On the issue of immigration, Badenoch has said not all cultures are "equally valid", giving the example of societies that "that believe in child marriage" or that "women don't have equal rights".

She told Kuenssberg: "I don't believe in cultural relativism, I believe in Western values - the values that made this country great... If we want to have a well integrated society, we need to make sure that we have a shared culture and a shared identity. There is a difference between being multi-ethnic and being multi-cultural."

Seat: Badenoch won her North West Essex seat with 19,360 votes to the Labour candidate's 16,750.

• Read more: Who is Kemi Badenoch? Tory says misinterpretation of Equality Act is feeding discontent (Evening Standard)

James Cleverly (10/1)

Cleverly, the ex-home secretary, proclaimed himself a “staunchly conservative Conservative” after making it through to the third stage of the contest.

Considered a centrist candidate – he said the Rwanda plan was not the "be all and end all" – he also previously served as foreign secretary and was first elected as the Tory MP for Braintree in May 2015.

And he has previously rejected claims he is "too centrist dad" to claim the top job.

Cleverly would not point to one of his party’s former prime ministers as being responsible for their summer election defeat, but said that the public “didn’t like the constant infighting” or the “bickering” among their numbers.

“We didn’t do that just once or twice. We did it over and over again, he told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

After an injury cut short his army career, he completed a business degree and joined the Territorial Army, later working in magazine and digital publishing, before setting up his own business.

Cleverly said his priorities are to boost national security, reduce migration and restore “confidence in capitalism”. Writing in the Sunday Times, he "allowing migration to rocket after COVID was a fatal mistake", and that wanting border control "isn't racist".

Seat: Cleverly was successful in Braintree, winning 17,414 votes to his Labour challenger's 13,744.

• Read more: Tories turned into ‘grumpy party,’ says James Cleverly in leadership bid (PA Media)

Tom Tugendhat (18/1)

A second consecutive fourth place finish saw Tom Tugendhat make it to the third round of the race. He said he was “looking forward to setting out my vision” for the party at its conference in Birmingham.

He added: "We have a simple choice: we can choose someone who has service at their core, who is a proven leader and who acts on their principles, or we can expect more of the same."

A former army officer, like fellow leadership hopeful Cleverly, Tugendhat was appointed security minister in September 2022 by Liz Truss.

Speaking to Sky News on the opening day of the conference, he pointed to his military record and other public service to "demonstrate" his "character".

Asked if the Tories needed another “posh boy leader from a great public school”, he said: “I think the Conservative Party needs a leader who can lead, and you can judge me on the decisions my parents made 35 years ago or you can judge me on the decisions I have made for the last 35 years."

Along with Badenoch, Tugendhat also stood for the party leadership in 2022 and has put himself forward once again. A Remainer in 2016, Tugendhat is seen as one of the more moderate leadership contenders.

Launching his leadership bid, he said he would use his party’s period in opposition to prepare for action “on day one” of a new government, saying his mission is “the happiness and prosperity of the British people”.

Seat: Tugendhat won his Tonbridge seat with 20,517 votes to the Labour candidate's 9,351: one of the bigger majorities won by a Tory in the election.

• Read more: Who is Tom Tugendhat, former soldier turned security minister standing for Tory leadership? (The Telegraph)

Round two results:

Robert Jenrick - 33

Kemi Badenoch - 28

James Cleverly - 21

Tom Tugendhat - 21

Mel Stride - 16 (eliminated)

Round one results:

Robert Jenrick - 28

Kemi Badenoch - 22

James Cleverly - 21

Tom Tugendhat - 17

Mel Stride - 16

Priti Patel - 14 (eliminated)

How will the next leader be chosen?

The remaining four candidates have the opportunity to make their cases at the Conservative Party Conference, which runs until Wednesday (2 October).

MPs will then vote again, on 9 and 10 October, until two candidates remain. The party membership will then choose their preferred candidates in a vote scheduled for 31 October.

Only party members who have been members for 90 days when the ballot opens will be eligible to vote. If one of the final two candidates drops out, as Andrea Leadsom did in 2016, then the members will not vote and the remaining candidate will be declared the winner.

The winner of this vote, and the next leader of the Conservative Party, will be announced on 2 November.