Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and former Republican presidential hopeful, has backed Kemi Badenoch in the race to become the next Tory leader.He declares that she “flies the flag of bold colours” of conservatism and praised her for being “strong” and “courageous”.

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat are the final candidates for the Tory top spot. Although the race was announced on 5 July, the leader will not be revealed until early November – although two candidates have called for the timeframe to be cut down.

Kemi Badenoch put her faltering leadership campaign back on track with a powerful speech to end the Tory conference.