James Cleverly cited his track record as foreign secretary and cast himself as a safe pair of hands in a world growing increasingly volatile
James Cleverly warned “now is not the time for an apprentice” as he pitched himself as the most experienced candidate to lead the Tories into the next election.
The Conservative leadership hopeful, who has previously held two of the Great Offices of State, told party members that he had done the “tough apprenticeship” needed to succeed Rishi Sunak.
Citing his track record as foreign secretary, he cast himself as a safe pair of hands in a world growing increasingly volatile with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
In his major speech to party members at the Conservative Party Conference on Wednesday, he said: “Leadership is about things like making the tough decisions when you get that ugly phone call in the middle of the night to keep this country safe.
“And because I have been there, I know in detail what the government should be doing right now, I know in detail how they’re failing. Now is not the time for an apprentice.”
His remarks had echoes of a speech given by Gordon Brown at the Labour Party conference in September 2008, where he told attendees: “This is no time for a novice”.
It was seen as an attack on opposition leader David Cameron but also interpreted by some as a dig at David Miliband, around whom there was swirling speculation of a leadership bid.
Mr Cleverly told delegates that the party needed a leader “who can deliver from day one” and someone “who has already done the tough apprenticeship to be our Conservative leader and our prime minister.”
He cited his experience in the Metropolitan Police Authority where he “kicked out corrupt coppers” as an “important moral apprenticeship”.
The former Cabinet minister then described his time as Tory party chairman during the 2019 general election as a “whirlwind apprenticeship” which gave him insight into necessary reforms of the Conservative campaign machine.
The shadow home secretary also took a veiled swipe at Robert Jenrick, his fellow leadership rival and race frontrunner, over immigration.
He told members: “I didn’t complain about immigration, or walk away from the challenge. I got it down by 300,000 people a year.
“I deported foreign criminals and terrorists, and stripped citizenship from those who seek to do us harm.”
Mr Jenrick resigned as a Home Office minister over the Rwanda scheme legislation in December, as he said the plans did “not go far enough”.
Mr Cleverly pledged to lead the Tories in the style of Ronald Reagan, with an “optimism” that would lead people to vote for the Conservatives “with enthusiasm”.
“And what did he do? He cut taxes, cut regulation and boosted military spending. And he won a landslide. Let’s be more like Reagan,” he added.
