James Cleverly thinks the Tories need to be more ‘normal’

James Cleverly’s speech did a much better job than Tom Tugendhat’s of explaining what sort of person he is, and what he wants to do with the party. It was very characteristic of Cleverly: there were lots of mentions of ‘optimism’, which is probably his guiding philosophy in life, and some well-delivered jokes, including one about his time in the Reserves when he got a call telling him he had been mobilised. ‘I thought I was going to Basra, or Baghdad. And I was sent… to Luton,’ he told the hall, to genuine laughter. But he also focused heavily on his experience in government, trying to differentiate himself from Tugendhat in terms of the big jobs he’s had, and also to answer the doubts that he isn’t quite up to the role of leader. 

He opened the speech by very slowly and quite quietly asking the party what its purpose was, before pausing dramatically.