James Cleverly won’t stand for Tory leadership – yet

Mr Cleverly has told friends he does not plan to put himself forward for the leadership - WPA Pool

James Cleverly will not stand to become Conservative leader after the general election, it has been reported.

Allies of the Home Secretary said he would not battle to replace Rishi Sunak, a day after it emerged that security minister Tom Tugendhat is expected to run for the leadership.

The Times reported that Mr Cleverly has told friends he does not plan to put himself forward.

But he is said to not have ruled out the prospect entirely.

James Cleverly's wife, Susie (left), joined the campaign trail on Wednesday - Getty

The former Foreign Secretary is defending a 25,466-vote majority in his safe seat of Braintree in Essex, which he has been tipped to retain.

A major poll for The Telegraph revealed on Wednesday that he could be ousted by Labour.

The Times also reported that Suella Braverman, who preceded Mr Cleverly as Home Secretary, does not have the required support to mount a serious challenge for the leadership.

She was also predicted to lose her seat by The Telegraph’s MRP poll, which was conducted by Savanta and polled 18,000 voters.

It predicted that Mr Tugendhat, a former soldier seen as being on the moderate wing of the party, would retain his seat at the election.

Other senior Conservatives tipped to run for the leadership if Mr Sunak loses the election and resigns are Kemi Badenoch and Priti Patel.

No Tory leader this century has stayed on after failing to win most MPs at a general election.

But Ms Patel and a number of other would-be contenders are at risk of losing their seats on July 4, depending on the scale of Labour’s expected victory.

They include Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, and Robert Jenrick, the ex-immigration minister.

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