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The United Kingdom is a divided country beset with issues in need of proactive government implementing good policies to address them. Instead, the Conservative Party is tearing itself apart and its governance is off the rails. It needs an intelligent, capable leader skilled in diplomacy and determined to get things done. Step forward, Rory Stewart, a rare breed of politician who is willing to admit that he wants the top job.

On paper, the details of his education and career might potentially work against him. An old Etonian, his CV reads like that of a 19th Century gentleman destined to be a colonial governor. But this is a man with a rich and broad life experience who has lived and worked in different countries and proven himself highly capable in a variety of roles.

The son of an MI6 intelligence officer, Rory Stewart was born in Hong Kong and schooled at Eton before studying at Oxford University. He was briefly an officer in the Black Watch before joining the Foreign Office, serving as the British representative to Montenegro from 1999 in the wake of the Kosovo intervention, then as the occupying coalition's deputy governor in Southern Iraq in 2003. All before the age of 30.

Oh, he was also an adviser for the Obama administration and a tutor to princes William and Harry. If this was any ordinary job he was applying for, with a CV like that he’d the first person interviewed.

Stewart took it upon himself to trek 6,000 miles from Turkey to Bangladesh during which he was beaten up by the Taliban, imprisoned several times, and held at gunpoint by Maoist guerrillas. During his trek, he went out of his way to find out more about the people, seeing how they lived and asking them their thoughts on how they are governed. This, according to Stewart, helped him to understand how communities really live. He left the British diplomatic corps after becoming disillusioned with the failing rebuild of Iraq (he has written books and done documentaries about this).

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Since becoming the Member of Parliament for Penrith and the Border in 2010 (and almost doubling his majority in 2015) he has proven his capabilities as a constituency MP, Committee Chairman, and Minister. This is in stark contrast to the leadership frontrunner, good-time Boris, who did not impress as Foreign Secretary and divided opinion as Mayor of London.

Clearly, being a remainer in 2016 works against Stewart. Unlike many of his colleagues, however, he has always maintained that the vote ought to be respected, saying: ‘We should be energetic and optimistic about it’. Brexiteers ought to realise that Stewart wants to get Brexit done and reflect on the fact that even many in the ERG eventually backed May’s deal too. As leader, not only would he implement Brexit, he would do so with optimism and determination to make a success of it.

Both Boris and Raab would cause disunity in the Conservative Party and in the Country. The SNP would relish all the campaign material and look to tear the Union apart. It’s true that to succeed the Tories will need to win back voters from the Brexit Party, but it’s also true that they need to hold together a broad coalition, which includes their moderate wing and remainers. Whoever wins the election then has the far more difficult task of uniting the country. A divisive leader cannot do this, a voice for the pragmatic middle can.

Beyond Brexit, this is a man who wants to improve the country and takes the long view. ‘The big question for Britain is not really what could I do if I was prime minister in five, ten years — but what does the country look like in a hundred years? If I were lucky enough to be prime minister, I’d want to do a lot of things you wouldn’t see the results of while I was there.’

This kind of long-term thinking is exactly what Britain needs. When we leave the EU, the British state will need rebuilding as we take back control of multiple areas of governance. To invest in the future, we need policies that may not bear fruit within a single parliamentary term. That’s always a difficult ask for politicians who want quick results to shout about before the next election. Airport runways, 5G networks, alleviating regional disparities, cleaner air, better roads, these are goals that will take time to achieve. As are new trade agreements for that matter.

Rory Stewart has said that if he were PM for the day, he’d be tempted to gather every civil servant in London in Hyde Park and put out a sign that said, ‘Britain wasn’t built in a day’. Is there a better mantra for a leader of Brexit Britain as it begins anew and rebuilds?