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The contest to decide who should be the next leader of the Conservative Party has begun, and six candidates have put their names forward.

Rishi Sunak has agreed to stay in his position as interim leader of the party until a new successor has been chosen, but quite who that will be remains unclear.

James Cleverly was the first MP to confirm he is standing to be the next Tory party leader, saying his party's loss in the election was down to "too much time rowing amongst ourselves".

While announcing his intention to run, Mr Cleverly has also quashed notions of the Conservatives merging with Reform and said the party needs to broaden its appeal and show more "self discipline".

Next to put his name in the hat was Tom Tugendhat, who shared a video on X writing: "People want their leaders to be straight with them. No games. No gimmicks. This is why I’m running to be Leader of the Conservative Party."

Robert Jenrick was the third to step forward, with his bid announced by his campaign team. The former Immigration Minister was described by his campaign manager as having the “energy, temperament and policy agenda to take on our rivals and lead us back to power in five years.”

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Priti Patel has also entered the leadership battle saying it was "time to put unity before personal vendetta". Writing on X the former Home Secretary said: "I can lead us in opposition and unite our party and get us match fit for the next election, with unity, experience and strength."

Becoming the second woman to enter the race, Kemi Badenoch pledged an "explicit focus" on "renewing" the Tory party "for 2030". She said under her leadership the Conservatives "will speak the truth again".

And the sixth potential Tory leader is former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride, who promised to hold Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer "forensically" to account. He also wants his party to have “broad appeal”, acknowledging the "acute crisis" the Tories find themselves in.

The contest has not been without drama, with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman withdrawing from the race over the weekend, saying the party "doesn't want to know why it lost the election".

Any contender needs at least 10 colleagues backing them in order to enter the three month race to take over from Mr Sunak.

Conservative leadership battle timetable

Nominations opened on July 24 at 7pm, closing on July 29 at 7.30pm. Each candidate needs the backing of 10 MPs to secure their place on the ballot.