The only sitting conservative MP I think I'd be at all enthusiastic about is David Davis, but he's not running, so that doesn't help.
I have to say I view all the candidates through the prism of the last couple of years and the likelihood of such things happening again. That's more important to me than any other issue.
- Jeremy Hunt did a terrible job as health secretary and seems to have wanted a zero-Covid policy and earlier harder lockdowns, so a hard no.
- Equally I'd rule out anyone who had a big hand in the last two years of Covid policy from Government, so no to Sunak or Zahawi.
- Truss has had a really odd performance over the past few months - you'd think foreign secretary would be a big public role when there is a European war happening, but she seems to have left pretty much everything to Ben Wallace. That rings alarm bells.
- Tugendhat suggested the unvaccinated may be banned from workplaces. So no to him.
- While Mordaunt looks ok on paper, putting my tin-foil hat on I'm very put off by the book she wrote last year (
here) having a foreword written by Bill Gates, who she seems very chummy with, and an approving review by Tony Blair...
- Which leaves Braverman and Badenoch. Not a great choice but Badenoch seems the better of the two - I note on Twitter reports of meetings where she was opposing vaccine passports, for example - and she also seems to present herself more confidently.
So, without any great enthusiasm, I guess Badenoch is the least worst of the bunch.
It looks likely to be Mordaunt in any event though, so let's hope she isn't too in thrall to the ideas of Blair and Gates.