Tom Tugendhat out of Tory leadership race despite vow to crack down on County Lines

The former Royal Marine and Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling had pledged to introduce a “proactive policing approach” to target the leaders of County Lines gangs and threaten them with longer sentences.

Mr Tugendhat had told The Sunday Times: “I have seen first-hand how gangs are wreaking havoc across Britain.

“Under my leadership, the police will take a proactive approach towards organised crime. We will target gang leaders with all the means at our disposal and push for tougher sentences.

“By decapitating the leadership of these gangs, I will ensure that criminals up and down the country know that they will always be held to account for their activities.”

Mr Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said he would also give more powers to the NCA, including taking national counter-terrorism responsibilities from the Metropolitan Police Service allowing it to “focus on serving the people of London”.

He told The Sunday Times he would also declare cybercrime a “national security threat”, adding: “Today’s criminals not only gather on street corners, but can also be found online.

“Shockingly, seven million cases of fraud and cybercrime were detected in Britain last year… but barely anyone is going to prison for these crimes. That will change under my leadership.

“I will declare cybercrime a national security threat and set up a dedicated team within the National Security Council to tackle this issue.

“I will put the NCA on a war footing and demand that police forces step up their training to take cybercrime seriously.”

In Monday’s (July 18) latest round of voting among Tory MPs for the five remaining Conservative Party leadership candidates, Rishi Sunak got 115 votes, Penny Mordaunt 82, Liz Truss 71, Kemi Badenoch 58 and Mr Tugendhat 31.