The UK needs a “Conservative revolution”, Tom Tugendhat has said in his final pitch to Tories at the party’s conference.

The former security minister appeared to take a swipe at his opponents who have been more outwardly hawkish on tackling migration, as he said the solution was about “visas, not about foreign courts”.

Mr Tugendhat said the party needs to “focus on what the British people need and be absolutely ruthless about delivering it, from healthcare and immigration to security and education”.

He added: “We need to free the economy. We need a new Conservative revolution. That’s what Margaret Thatcher did. That’s what we must do again, and we can do it.”

In a signal that his platform includes trimming the size of the state and NHS reform, the leadership contender told Tory members he wanted to “strip away excess regulations and barriers” in the health service and “put the patient at the centre of care”.

Mr Tugendhat drew a distinction with his rival Robert Jenrick’s position on migration.

This is about visas, not about foreign courts

The Newark MP has set out his desire to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a treaty which has been used in legal cases to prevent migrants being deported.

Mr Tugendhat promised to introduce a cap on legal migration, but said this “alone won’t work”.

In an apparent reference to the ECHR, he added: “This is about visas, not about foreign courts.”

Speaking to reporters after his speech, Mr Tugendhat said illegal migration is “a problem”, and criticised Sir Keir Starmer for having scrapped the Rwanda plan – which was aimed to deter small boats crossings.

While he acknowledged that Mr Jenrick, James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch all had more senior ministerial experience than him, Mr Tugendhat insisted he was still a better choice for leader than them.

“My opponents claim that they have got more management experience around the cabinet table. Sure, it is true, but I am not here to manage, I am here to lead,” he said, also pointing to his military experience.

He added: “The only way to build trust back is to show real change, and that is the new Conservative revolution that I promise.”

Elsewhere he claimed the party would “defeat Labour” under his leadership and he would return the Tories “back to power in five years’ time”.

In a jibe at Labour’s recent freebies row, Mr Tugendhat added: “We all know that this country cannot afford Labour. You can’t afford Labour, I can’t afford Labour, Lord Alli can’t afford Labour.”