Former UK minister Mel Stride to enter Conservative leadership race, BBC reports

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(Reuters) – Britain’s former Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride is set to announce his candidacy in the Conservative leadership race on Friday to replace Rishi Sunak, the BBC reported.

The central Devon MP has the backing of the 10 MPs needed to progress to the next stage of the race, the report added.

Stride did not immediately respond to request for comment outside regular business hours.

Britain’s Conservative Party is set to name its new leader on Nov. 2 after the party’s worst-ever election performance.

The leadership contest will see the party narrow the field of nominations to four candidates who will make their case at the Conservative Party conference. The nominations will then further narrow to two candidates after which party members will vote for a leader.

Stride’s announcement comes after former foreign secretary James Cleverly and former security minister Tom Tugendhat said earlier this week they intend to enter the race to lead the Conservative Party.