Could ‘Midlands man’ Robert Jenrick be the next Tory leader?

His rivals for the party leadership are former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, former Foreign and Home Secretary James Cleverly and the shadow security minister Tom Tugenhat.

Jenrick supporters in the region said his knowledge of the Midlands was one of the reasons they back him.

The Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, Bradley Thomas, told the BBC: “Rob is someone who understands not just the heritage of the West Midlands, but also the economic and social identity of the place. The fact that our economy has got to pivot, that we’ve got to upskill for the next generation, that we’ve got to tackle issues including migration. “

Conservative councillor Simon Bennett, who is the leader of the opposition on City of Wolverhampton Council also hopes to vote for Jenrick.

“He will bring prosperity back to places like Wolverhampton. He knows what those former ‘red wall’ seats are all about. Robert will make sure that areas which have been left behind receive more investment.”

In contrast, the Conservative MP for Hereford, Jesse Norman, took to social media to share how unimpressed by the conference performance.

He posted on X “That speech of Robert Jenrick’s was lazy, mendacious, simplistic tripe.”

On Wednesday and Thursday, MPs will vote to narrow the field of candidates from four to two.

Party members will then make the final decision to select the winning candidate.

The ballot closes at 17:00 GMT on 31 October.

The self-declared “Midlands man” will hope it’s a Halloween to celebrate.