'A civil war is coming!' Goodwin warns Tories face 'enormous battle for soul' of party over immigration row

The ideological divide could spark an "enormous battle" within the party, particularly over contentious topics such as leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or toughening immigration policies.

Goodwin warned that the "civil war within the Conservative Party actually hasn't even started yet", suggesting turbulent times ahead for the Tories as they grapple with internal divisions and attempt to unite behind a new leader.

The leadership contest has been narrowed down to just two candidates: Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick.

Both faced off in Decision Time: The Race to Lead on GB News last night.

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Goodwin said: "At some point between today and 2029, whoever wins this contest, Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick, they're going to have to wrestle with this Conservative parliamentary party, which is leaning much further to the left on these cultural issues than their average post-Brexit voters.

"So somewhere along the way, there's going to be this enormous battle for the soul of the Conservative Party with maybe Robert Jenrick, maybe Kemi Badenoch saying it's time to leave the ECHR or it's time to get tough on immigration.

"A lot of those One Nation liberal, dare I say, wet Tories, saying, hang on a minute, we're not up for this.

And so I think the civil war within the Conservative Party actually hasn't even started."

Badenoch has emphasised her "grassroots campaign" approach, stating she is "not running a TV campaign or a media campaign".

She expressed confidence in her chances of victory during a virtual rally with Tory members.

Jenrick, meanwhile, has adopted a more public-facing strategy, delivering speeches and proposing policies such as returning the benefits bill to pre-pandemic levels to fund tax cuts.

The new Conservative leader will face significant challenges in uniting the party and maintaining support from MPs.

Former Conservative MP Sir Phillip Davies warned that the winner will only have the backing of about one-third of their parliamentary colleagues, a precarious position reminiscent of past leaders like Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

The lack of broad support could prove problematic for both candidates.

To address these concerns, the 1922 Committee is considering increasing its threshold for triggering a no-confidence vote in the leader.

Reports have suggested the threshold could soar to as high as 40 per cent of MPs submitting letters of no confidence to Bob Blackman.