Lord Austin hails 'amazing' diversity in Tory leadership field
Lord Austin has hailed the diversity of candidates in the Tory leadership election.
Speaking before Wednesday's first round ballot, the former Dudley North MP said it was "pretty amazing" that only two of the eight candidates were white men.
The race to succeed Boris Johnson has been dubbed the most diverse party leadership election in the history of British politics.
Lord Austin said: "It is pretty amazing that only two of the eight candidates to be Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister are white men.
"Half are women, half are BAME. This would have been unimaginable 20 years ago."
Boris Johnson's last Cabinet was considered the most diverse ever in British politics.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.