Stop squabbling, Sunak urges Tories in final speech as leader

But he ended with a plea for part unity.

“We must always remember what unites us rather than obsessing about where we might differ.

“Because when we turn in on ourselves we lose; and the country ends up with a Labour government,” he said.

“You don’t need someone to give you a pair of designer glasses to see that the shine is coming off Keir Starmer already.”

He warned the party that if the Conservatives were going to get back into power “then our new leader is going to need your support – and especially when the going gets tough”.

He added: “So, let’s use this conference to look to the future and ensure that one of our four candidates is not just the next leader of our party but our next prime minister too.

“And with that, I hand this conference over to them.”

One MP who lost his seat at the election told the BBC he was there to thank the leader who had done his duty for the Tories, and who had tried his best despite the mistakes of his predecessors.

Sunak’s call for party unity was met with warm applause and occasional bursts of “Rishi! Rishi!”

Yet even with free wine and beer on offer, the crowd were far from energised.

And as Sunak laid out his prime ministerial legacy, those vying to succeed him – Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat – were holding rival events nearby.