Mr Sunak’s visit to the local Conservative Association on Friday (July 29) followed a similar visit by rival Liz Truss a week earlier.
The pair are the final two candidates in the race to replace Mr Johnson, who announced he was to resign last month after a series of scandals led to the mass resignation of ministers, including Mr Sunak.
Originally 11 Tory MPs were in the running to replace the PM, including Tom Tugendhat, who represents Tonbridge & Malling.
The former army officer was knocked out in an earlier round of voting when there were just five MPs left.
The final two candidates are set to be chosen by Conservative Party members, of which there are believed to be around 180,000 in the country, although no official figures have been released on exactly how many Tory members there are.
Mr Sunak arrived in a dark Range Rover to the Tunbridge Wells Constitutional Club on Sandrock Road on Friday at 2pm. He was accompanied by a small team and met by local MP Greg Clark.
Before addressing the party faithful, the former Chancellor spoke to local media, including the Times.
‘That’s what I want: to deliver for Tunbridge Wells and Kent as I do across the United Kingdom.’
We asked him whether the party was losing its grip on traditional Conservative seats such as Tunbridge Wells, which recently saw the Council fall from Tory control to a Lib Dem led coalition.
Mr Sunak told the Times: “I believe that I am the best person to make sure we win in places like Tunbridge Wells.
“That’s what all the evidence shows, and I think our members ultimately will be focused on who’s best placed to win the next election, to win in councils like Tunbridge Wells.
“I’m confident I’m the person to do that. You know, for me – I’m from Southampton. Levelling up for me means that wherever you live in the United Kingdom, north or south or urban or rural that there are fantastic opportunities for you, and you have phenomenal pride in the place that you call home.
“That’s what I want to deliver for Tunbridge Wells and Kent as I do across the United Kingdom.”
The MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire, whose resignation as Chancellor sparked an exodus of resigning ministers last month, then spoke to members of the Tunbridge Wells and West Kent Conservative associations.
‘I believe that I am the best person to make sure we win in places like Tunbridge Wells’
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who came to Tunbridge Wells on a similar visit on July 23, although the media wasn’t invited to that event.
So far, Ms Truss has stolen a march on Mr Sunak’s campaign by promising tax cuts.
The former Chancellor has also now vowed to scrap VAT on all domestic energy bills for the next year as well as promising income tax cuts, but his rival remains the bookmakers’ favourite for winning the contest and is leading in the polls.
Both PM hopefuls are touring the UK to take part in 12 hustings for Tory members who will vote for their next leader, with the result being announced later this year on September 5.
