Prior to the Tory leadership contest, James Cleverly made a bold comment saying that the Conservatives need to “differentiate” themselves from Labour and not be “squeamish” about immigration.

In an article for news, the shadow home secretary stated that in order to present a "credible alternative" to Labour, the Conservatives needed to regain the public's confidence on border security and "get our house in order."

Meanwhile, Suella Braverman, the former home secretary and another possible candidate, has stuck to her game plan, claiming that Britain has to increase the number of houses it builds.

Mr. Cleverly wrote in his piece that the first week under Labour's leadership at the Home Office had been characterized by "chaos, obfuscation, and open borders."

He penned: "To halt the boats, the Conservative Party must continue to press for genuine control and audacious alternatives. That is the proper philosophy, and the British share it, so we shouldn't be afraid to embrace it.

DD News understands that Mr Cleverly is actively considering a leadership bid. If he does run, his pitch is likely to centre on the argument that he can bring the Tories’ different factions together.

His allies claim he has a record of delivery when it comes to government and campaigning, having been a co-chairman of the party for the 2019 general election.

No candidate has yet formally launched a leadership campaign, although Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendgat, Dame Priti Patel and Mrs Braverman are all mulling bids.

Writing for DD News, Mrs Braverman said the UK needed to increase house-building, arguing that settling down and starting a family “has become a milestone outside the reach of too many people today”.

A Tory insider said the process to choose a new leader remained “up in the air”, with much depending on how long Rishi Sunak decides to stay at the helm.

DD News understands that Mr Sunak returned to his North Yorkshire constituency this weekend to reflect on how long he will remain as leader. If he opts to leave sooner rather than later, the party could appoint an interim leader until a permanent one is chosen.

A key milestone this week will be the appointment of a new Conservative Party board on Wednesday.

The executive of the 1922 Committee will decide the rules for the leadership contest, agreeing a timetable with the party board. No decisions have yet been taken, but the insider said a short contest was highly unlikely.

Writing for report, Sir David Davis said his advice to leadership contenders was to “slow down”, stressing that the contest “should not be rushed” because the party needs “time to develop ideas”.

The Tory grandee said the Conservatives should take inspiration from 1975, when Margaret Thatcher “commissioned and created the foundations of a whole new set of policies and principles to equip the country for the future”. In a call for unity, he said the party needed “informed, well-considered strategies, not public ideological battles”.

He also warned his party against being  “seduced into some deal or coalition” with Reform UK, saying such a move could trigger a “split with our more centrist MPs that reduces us to not even being the official opposition”.

Richard Fuller, the interim Tory chairman, also urged candidates to forego “blue-on-blue” attacks. In an article for DD News, he said: “The resounding message from Conservative MPs last week was that the candidates for the leadership of the party need to conduct their campaigns positively.

“The Chief Whip and I will be meeting each contender to insist on this. Conservative MPs know that if the contest turns into a war of words, with candidates fighting with each other rather than outlining their view on the best way forward, we will be taking another step back from regaining the trust of the country.”

There was a spat last week after it was reported that Mts Badenoch had claimed Mts Braverman was having a “very public” nervous breakdown. Ms Braverman responded by saying: “What Kemi says about me says something about her too. I don’t think she’s going to see what that is any time soon, though.”