Dame Priti Patel at the Epsom Derby (Image: Getty)
Dame Priti Patel is set to enter the race to become the next Conservative Party leader.
The former Home Secretary has quietly begun assembling her team to campaign to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
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Her allies believe she will secure the backing of enough MPs to make it into the final two candidates, and that in a run-off against a centrist candidate, she would be preferred by party members.
They also believe she would be able to unify the different wings of the Conservative Party.
Dame Priti is understood to have hired a treasurer for her campaign – said to be a member of the House of Lords – and has hired former advisers and Conservative Party staff.
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Kemi Badenoch is the favourite to replace Rishi Sunak (Image: Getty)
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A source close to Dame Priti said: “Priti has kept a low profile and done her best to support others, she feels colleagues also need time to digest the general election result and don’t want posturing in the media from prospective candidates.
“She has quietly put a team together, as many colleagues from different sides of the party have over the past week urged her to run and she now has key MP supporters and campaign staff in place including some high profile Conservative donors.”
Dame Priti has also lined up several high profile donors who have given money to the party in the past during the leaderships of Boris Johnson and Lord Cameron.
The MP for Witham in Essex since 2010, Dame Priti retained her seat this month with a reduced majority of 5,145.
Dame Priti is expected to formally announce she is running by the end of next week.
One of former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, former Home Secretary James Cleverly or former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick are expected to represent the "centrist" wing of the Conservative Party.
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Kemi Badenoch, the favourite with the bookmakers to succeed Mr Sunak, alarmed some MPs with her outspoken comments about the current leader and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
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