The Conservatives lost last month’s general election because they failed to lower migration and taxes, Kent’s contender for the party leadership says.

Weeks after the drubbing at the polls, Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge since 2015, said he wants to bring back honesty and integrity into British politics.

Speaking on the Kent Politics Podcast, Mr Tugendhat launched a scathing attack on the new administration and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s first two months in charge.

The former army officer says Labour is planning to raise taxes, will “overload” state schools and has removed the deterrent to small boat crossing across the Channel.

Mr Tugendhat also accused Labour of cronyism by installing supporters and donors into the heart of the Downing Street machine.

In a candid interview about why the Conservative Party was removed from office, the former security minister said: “I think there were many areas that went wrong.

“Fundamentally, we failed to deliver on lowering migration and lowering taxes but there were many other areas we were extremely effective.

“We can look at this historically if you like. We have got to bring back integrity to politics and we have got to bring back honesty to politics.

“That is why I am quite worried about what Keir Starmer has already started doing.”

Mr Tugendhat, educated at the universities of Bristol and Cambridge, pointed to the appointment of Sue Gray to Downing Street Chief of Staff after being a “supposedly independent” senior civil servant.

He added: “Just look at his (Sir Keir’s) appointments. If you give a few thousand pounds to the Labour Party, you can become a senior civil servant, apparently.

“In fact, they are already putting party political people onto the body that is supposed to hold party politics to account.”

On illegal cross-Channel immigration, he accused Labour of rebranding the small boats operational command and getting rid of the Rwandan flights deterrent.

Mr Tugendhat said Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private schools will merely “overload” the state sector with children whose parents can no longer afford to pay increased fees.

In the leadership contest, he is up against Priti Patel, Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Mel Stride.

MPs will whittle six candidates down to two before the rank and file Tory membership who will vote for the eventual winner.

Mr Tugendhat said: “It’s a slightly odd election in that we are all Conservatives and we are all standing as Conservatives and we are all friends…so this is about leadership and it’s about delivery.”

He added: “What we have got to do is rebuild and the way we have got to rebuild is to make sure we are delivering on a Conservative agenda.

“That’s why I’m standing very clearly to bring back Conservative values to our public life and make sure what we are doing is standing up for the British people.”

Don’t miss a Kent Politics Podcast special with Lord Michael Howard, former MP for Folkestone and Hythe, on his political life and times available next Friday.