“Unimpressed by the peculiar propensity and sensitivity of the British middle classes for civility over nonsense, he raised the standard of common sense amid the smoke and confusion of a war which most of us do not want to fight and wish for an end to, but probably must be fought for,” he said.

But Sir Geoffrey also praised Mr Jenrick for transforming him from a comfortable and competent moderate into a man reborn with a mission to tackle the migration crisis.

“Through his experiences as Immigration Minister he has become an outspoken, sometimes even eloquent advocate of the need for weaker, hungrier, tougher immigration controls,” Sir Geoffrey said. “Like Cassandra, her urgent warnings cannot be ignored.”

Voting for the Conservative Party leadership will close on Thursday night before counting on Friday, with the winner to be announced on Saturday.

The competition is expected to be staged at the Queen Elizabeth Center in Westminster and two contestants are expected to take to the stage after being told the result. Sir Bob BlackmanChairman of the 1922 backbench committee that oversaw the competition.

Best choice for sensible Kemi Conservatives

by Sir Geoffrey Cox

As many Conservatives would, I wrestled with the choice we were presented with for the leadership of the Conservative Party. This is not an easy thing. Both candidates have their own unique characteristics. To stand back and examine the fractured scene of the Conservative Party’s fortunes, the long and difficult road to government, a path full of pitfalls for the unwary, makes one concerned about the party’s future.

Meanwhile, populist sharks patrol the icy seas in ever-decreasing circles, waiting for the scent of blood in the water. Not since Shackleton’s famous voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the lifeboat James Caird to bring aid to his stranded crew had such a politically epic and unexpected journey been undertaken.

Then who will rule us? Where’s our Shackleton? Who will guide us across the ice currents and crashing waves of the Atlantic to seek shelter among the penguins on the famous island whose recovery from Argentine military occupation delighted Margaret Thatcher? Who will meet the challenges that history demands of us now?