JAMES Cleverly’s leadership bid has got a massive boost tonight as Tory heavyweight Mel Stride threw his weight behind him.

Mr Stride, who was booted out of the race last month, had stayed tight-lipped on his pick, keeping rival camps on edge. 

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But the former Cabinet Minister finally broke cover, dubbing former Home Secretary Mr Cleverly the leader we need to “take the fight to Labour” and “make sure we are ready to win”. 

Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Stride said: “We need a leader who both gets the need for the rapid reform of our party machine but who can also reach across the Party and appeal to our broad base. Someone who has experience in government, the Party, and is an effective communicator.

“I have come to the conclusion that the person that meets all these requirements is James Cleverly.”

The endorsement comes as the four hopefuls – Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, and Mr Cleverly – will battle it out in a crunch vote from MPs tomorrow to narrow the field to three candidates.

It will be followed by another vote on Wednesday to decide the final two, who will then vie for party members’ support until the winner is announced on November 2.

Mr Cleverly came joint third with Mr Tugendhat in the second ballot but his campaign gained momentum after a strong performance at the party’s conference in Birmingham.