Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have made it to the final two in the Tory leadership contest after James Cleverly was eliminated from the race.

       The result came as a surprise not only in Westminster, but also among readers of The Telegraph after Mr Cleverly came first in Tuesday’s vote.

       Many readers were pleased with the result, believing it to be a hopeful sign that the party is moving in the right direction.

       “Could it be that the Conservative MPs have finally listened to the party members and the general public?” questioned one reader, Kevan K.

       In a survey of Telegraph readers, Mrs Badenoch is the current favourite – with 69 per cent of over 91,000 votes.

       Many readers believe she will be a strong asset for the Tory party, especially at the dispatch box. Jean-Marc Evans argues she will “not only be Labour’s worst nightmare, but that she’ll kick Starmer’s butt during PMQs. It will be a pleasure to watch”.

       Reader Grainne Simms said she was “very, very pleased with the result”, and claimed that “if Badenoch wins – as I expect – the Right will be well-positioned”.

       Writing to the Front Page newsletter, Nicholas Dobson also shared his argument for Mrs Badenoch: “She is the only one that has the true intellectual steel and determination, carry-through ability and the capacity to wipe the floor with Labour while bringing the majority of voters with her common sense approach. Like Margaret Thatcher.

       “Badenoch is a Thatcher for our times.”

       Alan Sims echoed a very similar view: “Can anyone see Robert Jenrick standing up to the other world leaders, particularly the stroppy ones? Only Badenoch has the personality and abilities needed to be another Thatcher: strong personality, common sense and diplomatic.

       “Let us hope she gets it, then there will be no need for Reform.”

       And reader David Shoulder stated: “Badenoch is a conviction politician and her analysis of the problems Britain is facing has been clear and brave thinking. She gets my vote.”

       ‘Jenrick can win back deserters’

       Some readers rallied behind Robert Jenrick to win the Tory leadership contest, describing him as a “great speaker with clear ideas”.

       John D Barnett felt Mr Jenrick was the best choice to “win back those who deserted us for the Lib Dems and Labour, [which] is just as vital as reclaiming those who left for Reform”.

       He believes “this will take skill and finesse – to say the least”.

       Justine Fuller, warned Mr Jenrick that if he wins: “Your real battle will have only just begun. Your enemy isn’t Nigel Farage, but the social democrats within the Tory party.”

       She continued: “Voiding the party’s bowels of these wreckers is the only way the Conservative party will pave its way back into power.”

       Meanwhile, Ian Cunliffe stated his conditions for Mr Jenrick to become a successful Tory leader.

       He said: “Jenrick as leader would stand the best chance of getting me back [from voting for Reform] but only so long as he doesn’t go soft on immigration and the ECHR [European Convention on Human Rights].

       “I would also like to hear him be much more strident against wokeness such as ‘assigning gender’ to newborn babies.”

       Likewise, Patricia PP supports Mr Jenrick as “he wants to leave the ECHR and put a legal cap on migration”.

       And Kevin Richards said: “Jenrick would be the better candidate. Badenoch is smart, but has a habit of getting herself into ‘tight corners’. We need somebody with ‘brass balls’ and who is centre-Right. He is as near as the Tories can get.”

       ‘Playing into the hands of Reform’

       Some were not fully convinced by either candidate and put forward the thought that only Reform has the answers to Brtiain’s issues.

       SF argued: “Robert Jenrick is a lightweight and charisma-free nobody with no unique selling point. He will have limited voter appeal as a leader, and none as a prime minister.

       “Kemi Badenoch, on the other hand, is articulate, assertive and dares to say what others only think. But she will be endlessly gaslit by her opponents and will never unify the Tories.”

       “Why is anyone bothering with this?” asks Roland Butter, as he argues that “if you want a truly conservative party that will stand up for the people of Britain then you have to vote Reform.”

       And Mike Hinden claimed: “Whomever they elect as leader will have to convince not only the electorate but the liberals and socialists in the Tory party, to either change their ways or resign and that’s not going to happen.

       “It looks like whatever they and this current excuse for a Government do, they are just playing into the hands of Reform.”