Rishi Sunak has had an early advantage in the latest Conservative leadership race, with the former chancellor securing the support of at least 100 Tory MPs and ensuring he will go to a vote of party members next week if he publicly announces his candidacy. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood tweeted late Friday that he was “honoured” to get Sunak to the three-digit mark.
A maximum of three Conservative MPs will be able to stand, as the party has set a limit of 100 MPs for candidates to even get on the ballot, and there are 357 MPs in total in the party. As of Saturday morning, Penny Mordaunt was the only candidate to officially enter the Tory leadership race, while newspapers reported that former prime minister Boris Johnson was set to enter the fray. British voters would prefer Sunak and Mordaunt to Johnson as the next prime minister, according to a poll by Opinium. When asked to choose between Sunak or Johnson, 44% chose Sunak and 31% chose his former boss, Opinium research found Thursday night.
Johnson has told his former adviser James Duddridge he is ready to bid to return to No 10, adding that Johnson may hold talks with Sunak on Saturday to avert another potentially damaging clash for the Conservative Party. “I’m flying back Dudders,” the paper quoted Johnson as saying. “We will do it. I agree with that.”
The newspaper’s lead article said Sunak’s supporters are urging Johnson not to stand up, warning he would send the party into a “death spiral”. Sunak’s backers say a second spell in the No.10 position for Johnson would be “catastrophic” for the economy.
In its opening editorial, the Times again avoids endorsing a particular candidate – it backed Sunak over Truss in the summer round – but noted that the new leader should appoint ministers for their competence rather than just loyalty. The next administration needs to make sure it doesn’t over-promise and under-deliver, she said. Johnson is backed by six cabinet ministers, including Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, while Trade Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg is going with #BorisOrBust.
Kemi Badenoch, the international trade secretary, and Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, are weighing in on backing Johnson. Former editor Charles Moore, one of Johnson’s long-time supporters, writes that the former prime minister should “sit it out” in part because there is no evidence that he was ever troubled by the state of the nation’s finances when he was in charge. Sunak has better skills to navigate the economy through the turbulence ahead.
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