One of the frontrunners for the Tory leadership, Robert Jenrick, has launched his campaign, saying that his party lost the election because of a “cycle of broken promises” on immigration.

Mr Jenrick, giving a speech in his constituency of Newark, said there were many reasons for the July defeat, but pointed to high levels of migration as the key one.

The Tory MP was Immigration Minister under Rishi Sunak, as net migration hit a record high of 745,000 in 2022.

He resigned over the Rwanda Bill, and said in his speech yesterday: “When I concluded that I couldn’t secure any more changes to our legal migration system, I resigned from Cabinet last year because I for one was not willing to be just another minister who makes and breaks promises on immigration.”

Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick speaking during his Conservative Party leadership campaign launch. Credit: Jacob King/PA Wire

He said that he “walked into a Home Office in ashes”.

Mr Jenrick said he would consider bringing in an immigration cap of 10,000 people and refused to be drawn on whether he would readmit Reform UK MPs Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson to the party.

However he added it would “definitely be a party in which my good friend Suella Braverman is comfortable”.

“I want to ensure that we are a big church, that it has a common creed,” he said.

“So we have to believe in Conservative principles again. I never want to be going onto a doorstep in a general election in the future and people not know what our party stands for.”

Mr Jenrick is the bookies’ favourite to win the Conservative leadership contest to replace Rishi Sunak.

Five other candidates are challenging for the leadership – Kemi Badenoch, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Dame Priti Patel – with the winner announced on November 2.

Ms Badenoch is seen as a close contender, however has been forced to defend herself against what she described as “smears” in the media.

The field will be narrowed to four in time for the Tory conference in the autumn before MPs vote for a final two who will face a ballot of Conservative members.

Mr Jenrick said he wanted to give more power to the Tory membership, and let them choose candidates for elections again.

“I want to grow this party. I want to become a mass membership organisation once again,” Mr Jenrick added.

And he insisted his party could win the next general election.

“Our victory here in Newark a few weeks ago tells us a lesson,” he said.

“Each of those MRP polls that said we were going to lose, all the pundits and the commentators who said it was impossible to win here, they were wrong. They got it wrong, we won.

“And those same pundits, those same pollsters and talking heads down in Westminster, they now say that our party cannot win again.

“They say that our problems are too intractable, they say we’re too divided, they say that Keir Starmer is destined to be our nation’s Prime Minister for a decade or more.

“Well if there’s one lesson of our success here in Newark, it’s this. Nothing in politics is certain.”

Tory leadership contest: Robert Jenrick launches campaign blaming election defeat on 'cycle of broken promises' on immigration