We will know the next leader of the opposition in just over a week.

But until then, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch are still working hard to become the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Of the two, Mr Jenrick has been the more outspoken at public events and in conversations with the media, but that does not appear to have shifted the dial significantly.

In a recent poll of Conservative Party members by the website ConservativeHome, Ms Badenoch was ahead by a margin of 55% to 31%, with the rest unsure.

But when asked today, Mr Jenrick said he believed he was still in the race.

When he told him the contest was almost over he said: “Absolutely not; this is neck and neck, this is not a poll.”

He added: “It’s all there to fight for and I’m definitely going all over the country as I did over the summer.

“And I think my message is resonating with members and the public; we need to learn our lessons, we need to have strong, clear policies now, not vague promises tomorrow, we need to unite the party and take the fight to Labor as quickly as possible.”

Mr Jenrick was speaking at the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign affairs think tank.

In his speech, he made clear his hawkish views on China, Iran and Russia, and his desire to increase defense spending using the UK’s foreign aid budget.