Rishi Sunak has urged the Conservative Party to unite behind whoever wins the competition and make them the chief.
In a speech on the celebration convention in Birmingham, Sunak mentioned: “We must end the division, the gossip, the bickering.
“We should not harbor old grudges but build new friendships.”
Breaking with custom, Sunak is not going to make an enormous closing convention speech to celebration loyalists on Wednesday.
He mentioned he didn’t wish to be a “distraction” for the 4 MPs vying to switch him as chief, who will ship a 20-minute speech on Wednesday morning.
Party members queued for greater than an hour to get into Birmingham's Symphony Hall, which had been remodeled from a classical music venue to a nightclub for Sunak's farewell speech.
The lights had been dimmed and two blue neon Conservative logos hung from the ceiling.
Former members of Sunak's Downing Street operation had been watching their previous boss bid farewell as Conservative chief.
Sunak started by apologizing to Conservative members for the celebration's basic election defeat, saying, “I am only sorry that your efforts did not produce the results you deserved.”
“It wasn’t you,” one member shouted.
He insisted the Tories can not let Sir Keir Starmer “rewrite history” and celebrated his celebration's document 14-year tenure.
There had been jokes about Sir Keir accepting freebies, with Sunak saying the convention was such a “hot ticket” he was shocked the Labor chief “didn't ask someone to buy it for him”.
But he ended with an attraction for partial unity.
“We must always remember what unites us rather than focusing on where we may differ.
He said, “Because when we give up on ourselves, we lose and the country becomes the Labor Party government.”
“You don't need to give anyone designer glasses to see that Keir Starmer is already glowing.”
He warned the party that “our new leader will need your support – and especially when things get tough” if the Conservatives are to return to power.
He added, “So let's use this conference to look to the future and ensure that one of our four candidates is not only the next leader of our party but also our next Prime Minister.
“And with that, I turn this conference over to him.”
One MP who lost his seat in the election told the BBC he was there to thank a leader who had done his duty to 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, interspersed with chants of “Rishi!” Rishi!”
Yet regardless of the supply of free wine and beer, the group was not enthused.
And as Sunak carries on his prime ministerial legacy, these vying to succeed him – Cammy Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverley and Tom Tugendhat – are holding rival occasions close by.
With inputs from BBC
